Star Trek: Excalibur Part III
by G.W.Ryan
Summary: A secret assignment could bring the End of the Romulan War or Death of the new Coalition of Planets
1. Chapter 1

Part Three

Star Trek Excalibur

Chapter One

It had been over a year since their last contact with the former captain, the Excalibur itself had become a figure of almost myth amongst their Romulan enemy. A standard Starfleet NX Class vessel with limited range, speed, defence and weapons capabilities in the eyes of their Romulan foe, once upgraded with the most technologically sophisticated technology available to Starfleet which had since been removed and now little more then a standard Starfleet vessel, with the acceptation of the integrated shield grid. However, it was not the vessel itself which had made such a name with the Romulan Forces, it was the unusual and deadly command style of the vessels commanding officer which had almost feared the enemy itself.

Since word reached Romulus that Captain Franks had been removed of command of the ship, a new fear spread through the Romulan forces as they attempted to test the new commander of the once proud and powerful ship, only to be beaten back by the unusual command style and seemingly reckless behaviour of the vessel which was now officially designated as a boarder patrol vessel.

Since the so called '_Re-Fit_' of the vessel over a year ago, the Excalibur had become little more then a laughing stock amongst the other Captains and Crew of the NX-Class Fleet, since it's rebirth under the command of William James Franks two years ago, the vessel had developed a reputation as the fastest and most powerful ship in Starfleet along with the favourite target of Romulan Commanders. Once fitted with a new design of Warp engine, capable of Warp 6.5, since the re-fit, which was more then a downgrade since the new engine core was stripped from the starship itself and replaced with a Mark I Warp Five Engine it had become clear to the crew the vessel was having difficulty pushing past Warp 4.5, since anything beyond that speed and the ship would almost shake itself apart from the stress.

Commanding the ship for over a year, Commander T'Lana knew that Starfleet was punishing her for her actions years earlier when she secretly married the man who was her long time friend from Starfleet Academy, her former lover and until she took command, her Commanding Officer. Not only where Starfleet punishing her, but her entire crew as each request for a transfer off of the ship where blocked and each letter of resignation was rejected at the highest level. After their last encounter with Romulan Forces had cost them several of the crewmembers and friends, Starfleet Command had assigned what appeared to be the worst officers in the fleet to the Excalibur, officially making the crew, the Worst crew in the fleet. However, it seemed that only one officer had escaped the shame of the position as Commander Andrew Cortez, the first officer and chief armoury officer was offered a promotion and transfer off of the ship, a promotion he quickly turned down in order to remain onboard the ship he knew well.

Slowly patrolling an area far from the front lines, the vessel itself seemed to limp around in a depression as it move at half impulse through space, it almost appeared as if the ship's warp engines themselves where embarrassed to be apart of the ship and appeared to drag themselves through space as if rejecting the name of the ship.

Sat alone in the ready room reading reports from the front lines, as she always did each morning before entering the bridge for yet another day of patrols, the Vulcan Commanding Officer leaned slightly against the desk with one arm as she read the reports from what had recently become known as '_The Battle of Andoria_' and the loss of one of their most prominent vessels, the NX-03 Challenger. Slamming the report down with anger, she looked up at the holo-image of herself and her husband an image taken on the day of their wedding on Vulcan as she spoke with anger.

"Damn it Bill, we sit here chasing sensor ghosts while the fleet is taken apart a piece at a time. All we need is a chance to get back into fight"

As if in prayer to her answers, the first officer entered the ready room and slumped down onto the sofa next to the window as he looked out of the ship and grunted.

"We've been ordered back to Vulcan right away… we've been reassigned" Cortez said with anger.

"Again? What is this, the fifth time this year?" T'Lana grunted.

"Forth actually… this is getting annoying!"

"Regret turning down the Challenger now?" T'Lana said with a smile.

"Considering what happened to her, no… but my place is here at your side. I made your husband a deal to keep an eye on you"

"You're a terrible liar Andy. Have a course set for Vulcan… best possible speed for this junk-ship" T'Lana complained.

"Understood… we've also received a message from the Vulcans, once in orbit we are to shut down engines and wait for our orders, apparently they are sending a Consultant onboard from the Vashare?"

"V'Shar… it's pronounced V'Shar" She said slowly "It is the… Vulcan equivalent of Starfleet Intelligence… _SHIT_!" She said, much to his amusement.

"What, is it that bad?" Cortez said quickly.

"It can be Andy…Rumour has it, V'Shar has some top agent working in this sector… this does not leave this room. Am I clear?" She said stoically.

"Very!" He said with interest as he sat on the edge of the sofa.

"Rumour has it, this un-named agent has not only seen a Romulan first hand, But actually been to Romulus for some espionage mission" She said with an almost whisper.

"_WHAT?_" He yelled before regaining his senses and whispering. "How the hell do you know that? Does Starfleet know?"

"I may seem Human Andy, but you forget that I am a Vulcan… Through my own personal disgrace amongst my people, I still have some friends back home and they keep me updated on what is happening on Vulcan. This worries me Cortez, I don't like the idea of ANY of those… people onboard what is left of our ship. It should take us at least 48 hours to get back to Vulcan, I want everything on lockdown before we arrive, post security at on all decks… also… issue side arms to all personnel… this could get a little rough. And keep your mouth shut about what you heard, okay?"

52 hours later, the Excalibur entered a stationary orbit directly above the capital city of the Planet Vulcan before shutting down all engines but navigational thrusters. Stood before the transporter controls, a young Ensign activated the delicate system as a figure materialised on the platform before him. A tall humanoid figure wearing a long black cloak and hood which covered everything with a menacing shadow over the face as a distinctly gravely male voice echoed from under the hood.

"Where is the captain and first officer as requested?"

"S-Sorry sir" The Ensign stuttered. "I was instructed to escort you to the situation room behind the bridge. The Captain has assembled the senior staff"

"Very well Ensign Watson… lead the way" The voice said once more.

"H-H-How do you know my name sir?" He said with a hint of fear.

"I have made myself familiar with this vessel and its crew. Lead the way"

Nervously nodding, the Ensign stepped backwards from the control console before him as he led the way towards the bridge, with every step it appeared as if every crewmember had stepped aside for the seemingly large and imposing figure until they entered the bridge as all eyes fell upon the two before the Ensign nodded and walked away, leaving the hooded figure standing before the Command Crew as his eyes scanned each of them in turn before he bowed his head slightly and spoke.

"Captain T'Lana, Commander Cortez, please join me in the ready room immediately" He said aloud before turning and leaving for the Commanding Officer's private office.

As they entered the Captain's Office, the door slid closed as T'Lana stood before the hooded figure and spoke with a dark tone in her voice.

"I don't know who you are… or why you are here… but on this ship, I give the orders am I _CLEAR?_"

From the lighting in the room, a slight smile could be seen as he spoke before removing his hood.

"Is that anyway to speak to your husband after all this time?"

As his face was revealed to her, her emotions ran wild from shock through excitement and anger as she slapped his face hard before leaping into his arms with a tight hug as he gasped for air.

"Captain?" Cortez said quickly.

"T'Lana… my lungs work better when I can use them…" He wheezed.

Smiling widely, she stepped backwards as his hands slipped into hers as he spoke with a soft tone in his voice.

"It's been a long time. I have so much to tell you… both of you. But we don't have the time. I need your help honey… in doing so, I will return this ship to her former glory. I have a team of a hundred engineers waiting planet-side…"

"Waiting for what sir?" Cortez said with a smile.

"Andy, drop the rank… we have little time to act. I just wanted to see you both in private first, was that Alexis I saw outside?" Franks said without looking away from his wife.

"Yes, she came onboard before we launched. She's stuck onboard like the rest of us now" Cortez said with shame.

"By the time we are finished, Starfleet will be screaming out for this crew to take up positions all over the fleet" Franks smiled.

"You're the agent I heard so much about?" T'Lana finally said.

"Yes… and welcome back. I have a lot to explain and not much time to do so, now… listen very carefully…"

Explaining as much as he could in such a short space of time, the two looked at him in shock at the story he was telling but more importantly, about who he now worked for.

After thirty minutes, the three left the ready room as the bridge crew looked on in shock at who followed the Captain and First Officer. Finally stepping into the situation room, he looked around the table at the many new faces yet the faces he knew instantly after memorising the crew manifest before he finally turned to the last of the original crew as he walked towards the young woman and hugged her softly.

"Alexis… how are you?"

"F-Fine sir" She said past her tears of joy.

"Lex, drop the rank… I'm just a Civilian Consultant on this ride. I heard about your daughter, how is she?" Franks said with concern in his voice.

"Melissa is fine, but we're both terrified. She's only two years old… far to young for…"

"I know. Can you do me a favour and wait for me, Cortez and T'Lana on Vulcan? T'Lana's mother is expecting you" Franks said with a comforting smile.

"What?" She replied with shock.

"Trust me Kiddo… the coordinates are already set in the transporter console, it's programmed to activate with your voice command only"

After a moment of protesting about being left out of the mission briefing, she finally nodded in agreement as there was something in his eyes that told her to trust him as she finally left the bridge as Franks turned back to each of the command crew in turn and called out their names and departments with a smile.

"… Alright. I assume that by now you all know who I am? So this will go easier. Once Alexis has left the ship, a team of Engineers will beam onboard this ship with equipment to begin immediate upgrades of all ship's systems and install a few new ones. By the time they have finished, this vessel will outrun anything in Starfleet and the Romulan Fleet with a few extra surprises along the way, Chief Engineer Tarkin… I can hear your objections before you said them, I know this ship has been limited to Warp 4.5, Admiral Wessex saw to that humiliation, just trust me and things will go a lot smoother…"

"What kind of upgrades?" Called out the female Engineer.

"Our… new friends will upgrade the warp core with a new system specially designed for this ship and _ONLY_ this ship using Vulcan tech along with a few others we've managed to gather along the way. Once complete… this vessel will be capable of Warp 7+"

Almost instantly, the command crew broke into laughter as Franks remained silent with his eyes focused on each of them until the laughter slowly died down and the engineer looked at him in shock.

"You are serious?"

"Very! Everything has been designed for this ship. Originally, she was warp 6.5 max speed… that system _IS_ still in place, the engine core was simply suppressed, that Bastard Wessex saw to that himself. We'll upgrade the shields, weapons and structural integrity. We have two new Warp Nacelles ready for installation that should take only four days to complete, those new nacelles are the key to…"

"FOUR DAYS?" Called out Tarkin. "That's impossible, it could take weeks to install just one"

"We've made a few refinements" Franks smiled.

"Who is we?" Called out Helm officer Lieutenant Pavlova.

"For the moment, that is still classified. Effective when I beamed onboard, this ship was released from Starfleet Command and placed on detached duty to the Vulcan High Council and it's… well, let's just call it a Sub-Department for now. In five days, this ship will be ready for launch on an assignment that will change the course of this war in our favour…" He said with a smile.

"If you can tell us sir… what is our assignment?" Tarkin said slowly.

"Steal a Romulan Cruiser and return it to Vulcan for analysis…" T'Lana smiled Darkly.

"What my wife said!" Franks smiled with pride. "No one can order you to do this… it's strictly volunteer mission and the reason I demanded this ship. Each of you has lost greatly to the Romulan fleet, when this is over… we will deliver them a punch in the throat they will not soon forget. Cortez and T'Lana are with me, anyone else?" He said with a large and dark smile on his face.

After a classified briefing that lasted for over two hours, Cortez, Franks and T'Lana had beamed down to the family home of the Excalibur's commanding officer and entered with a smile on their faces, not at the mission ahead, but seeing the purest of joy on Alexis's face as she held onto a young human girl as if she was afraid to let her go while T'Lana's mother watched with pride on her face.

"I see you've made friends already?" Franks said with a large smile.

"Thank you sir… Bill" Alexis smiled with tears as her husband sat at her side.

"Alan, it's good to see you again" Franks said to her husband.

"Bill, I don't how to thank you for this moment… when you asked me to bring her here, I thought you where nuts. But seeing my wife again, is worth the journey"

"There is more to it then that my friend…" Franks aid as he sat facing the two of them.

"I assume that my mother has made you feel at home?"

"Yes Ma'am. Thank you… thank you all of you" Alexis said with tears in her eyes.

"Ohh this is only just the beginning Lex. A week ago, I spoke with Admiral Chen… although he hasn't granted your resignation, he's placed you on the inactive list indefinitely…" Franks smiled.

"What?" Alexis said with shock.

"I pulled in a few favours and called in a few debts. Tomorrow morning, you have an appointment at the Vulcan Medical Institute where they will examine your daughter…" Franks smiled as Alexis wept with joy.

"You will meet with an old family friend, Doctor S'Gar… he is familiar with your daughter's condition and believes that he can help her, perhaps even cure her"

"Oh my god! Franks, is this true?" Alan said with hope in his eyes.

"Yes sir. Now, it's going to be a long road to recovery for her… and you both. T'Lara has assured me that you are all welcome to stay here with her until you find a home for yourselves. Maybe you might even want to stay on Vulcan…" Franks said with pride.

"I have plenty of space… and it would be good to have the sound of a child's laughter in the house once again, since there is no sign of a grandchild yet" T'Lara said with a half smile as she looked at her daughter.

"Wait… what about Comms? Who will…"

"Lex, let go of it all for while. I speak a few alien languages, it's been awhile but I'll take over for now. Take care of your daughter… live your life and enjoy this planet" Franks smiled.

"I'll have your personal belongings beamed down shortly Alexis…" Cortez smiled. "… It won't be the same without you, but then… you where never really around anyway" He said with a wink.

"Thank you, all of you. I just wish there was something I could do for you…" She wept uncontrollably.

"Take care of your baby and we'll call it even" Franks said as he leaned forwards and held her hand softly. "We'll be in orbit for a few days yet Lex, if you need anything… call either one of us"

Carefully passing the frail young girl to her father, Lex stood as she trembled with tears of purest of happiness while Franks stood before her and reached out for her as she fell into his arms and wept uncontrollably into his chest as he held his former crewman softly while he spoke.

"This is why I didn't want you at the mission briefing. The less you know, the better"

"I understand" She said as she stepped backwards slightly and wiped her eyes.

"Very soon, you may hear stories about us, the ship and crew I mean. Don't believe them Lex, and don't talk to anyone about us… no matter how difficult it may be, keep your calm and move on with your life… T'Lara will help you with anything you need. Be warned though, she is… a little… crazy!"

"Worse then me!" T'Lana smiled.

"Stop that! This _IS_ my house you know, do you want me to ban you both? Cortez, you are always welcome" She smiled slightly. "I see you looking at me"

"I wasn't… Commander, I wasn't!" He protested.

"Best just move on Andy…" T'Lana laughed.

"Well, since you are going to be staying for awhile, T'Lana, why not our guests around? I believe you know the way?"

"Yes mother" T'Lana nodded.

"Billy, why not help her out?" T'Lara said with a smile.

"What? Ohh!…" He said with a smile. "You're in trouble now Andy" He whispered to his old friend.

Smiling widely, Franks left the room at his wife's side while Alexis followed as Alana carried the young girl as he stepped at the side of his wife. Alone in the room, Cortez shuffled his feet nervously as the Vulcan woman walked towards him with a soft smile as she spoke.

"Do not be nervous I do not bite. You are a very handsome man, especially for a human…" She said softly.

"I am not…" He squealed. "I'm not nervous, You are my commanding officer's mother…"

"It has been a long time since I had a real man in the house. Ohh Billy is great, but he is married to my daughter. Have you ever… imagined what it would be like with a Vulcan woman?" She smiled softly.


	2. Chapter 2

Part Three

Star Trek Excalibur

Chapter Two

Six Days Later…

Originally named the Colorado NX-10, the ship was rebuilt and renamed at the start of the war since all Starfleet vessels where needed as the ship was quickly rushed into service. Once considered to be a cursed vessel, many of the crew had shown discomfort while onboard the vessel itself or in certain rooms of the ship itself especially the portside Cargo-Bay where fourteen of the Colorado's crew where found dead. Upon being returned to earth, the vessel was eventually renamed Excalibur and the barely operational cruiser was pressed into service in a revenge plot against its new commanding officer, Commander William Franks. After their first disastrous mission which cost them the lives of many of their crew, the surviving crew themselves began to believe the stories of the cursed ship as the Excalibur underwent a full refit and upgrade to the point of being designated as an NX-Class Dreadnought before being reassigned to the Enterprise Battle group, it was after that mission that Excalibur was taken away from Franks after the news of his marriage to his First Officer had broken and now, he stood before them as a Civilian Consultant under the employ of the Vulcan Security.

_Starship Log, January 14__th__ 2160_

_We have been in orbit of Vulcan for over five days while some of the most unusual refinements have been made to this vessel. I am aware that my Husband now works for the Vulcan Intelligence division know as 'V'Shar' and in return, he is also the only human that I know of, who has been allowed to take up permanent residence on my homeworld. I find it strange how he as a human, has been accepted greater then I, a Vulcan have been by my own people. _

_For some reason, it seems as if he has as he would say 'Something on the Vulcan High Council' something they do not want let loose almost to the point of and if they where human, I would say that they fear him or whatever he knows that he shouldn't. _

_Well, for the moment, enough of wandering what and why. I received word late last night, that Alexis' daughter is responding to the treatments given to her and although it is a long for her, the prognosis looks bright for the one who has become our unofficial mascot. Andy Cortez on the other hand, he refuses to speak about what happened in my family home several days ago. I know from transporter logs that he did not return to the ship until the morning after… I believe that he spent the night with my mother, something I find a little distracting but then again they are both adults I guess._

_Anyway, enough ramblings. Condition of the ship is good, all systems are functioning above and beyond their design limits but are stable and if we are right, we should be the first Starfleet ship, however unofficially… to push past Warp Seven, let's hope this old ship can hold together._

_End Log Entry…_

Being back onboard the Excalibur was an almost exhilarating experience for William Franks, the ship he had come to admire and much of the crew he had only read about in their personal files. Assembled from what had become known as the worst of worst in the fleet, his wife and commander of the ship had somehow pulled their talents together and formed an effective crew despite the efforts of Admiral Bert Wessex. Although being back onboard the bridge, it somehow appeared different to him as he sat at the communications console while his Vulcan wife T'Lana, sat in what was once his chair. Although by no means the '_Traditional_' Vulcan, she had often been referred to by her people as V'tosh Ka'tur, or a '_Vulcan Without Logic_' since for as long as he had known her, she had excepted and embraced her emotions to the point of almost becoming an outcast by her own people, however since her family held a certain amount of respect within the Vulcan High Council, she remained free to return to the planet of her birth unlike most before her. Nevertheless, perhaps most intriguing to those around her was not the appearance of her strange and often dark sense of humour but her natural reddish-blonde hair which framed her features perfectly while often hiding the gentle point of her Vulcan decent which had often caused confusion amongst new crewmembers as they incorrectly assumed she was a product of Vulcan-Human interbreeding. Nevertheless, the truth was much darker as her maternal Grandfather was born on Romulus, a closely guarded secret known only to herself, her family, several members of the Vulcan High Council and her husband.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" T'Lana said as she smiled at her husband. "Call out status… Engineering?"

"Unbelievably Captain, the Engines are on-line and purring like a kitten" Petty Officer Derek Tarkin said from his console.

"Tactical is on-line and ready at your command Ma'am" Cortez said firmly.

"Helm is ready and awaiting orders, helm officer… nervous!" Smiled Natacia Pavlova.

"Sciences are ready Ma'am" Called out Ensign Joseph Wildman.

"Medical is on-line and hopefully, not need Captain!" The voice of Doctor James A. Scott said over the speakers.

"Comms… Billy, Comms?" T'Lana said with a sigh.

"Give me a minute to figure this thing out, I got used to another system"

"Bill, yes or no?" T'Lana said with a slight anger in her face.

"Umm… ready, I think" He smiled.

"Billy, if your not ready… let me know now. I can have someone else…"

"Ready. I have contacted Vulcan Control and we are to depart at ¼ impulse power… Pavlova, you should have the coordinates on your board now" Franks said with a half smile.

"I have them sir…" She said nervously.

"FYI Billy, I give the orders on _MY_ ship!" T'Lana said with a half growl.

"Sorry… at the Captain's… order?" He smiled as he leaned backwards in his chair.

"So glad you are on board, you're going to make my life a hell aren't you? Helm… take us out!"

Engaging the impulse engines, the ship slowly moved away from the planet, past the outer planets of the 40 Eridani-A star system, otherwise known as the Vulcan system before passing into interstellar space. Still leaning backwards in his chair, he watched with enormous pride as his wife conducted her crew with the efficiency of Starfleet Captain of many years of experience as the crew reacted with the same efficiency.

"Alright Billy, now that we are free to enter warp… what is our destination?" T'Lana said with a smile.

"Ohh, Pavlova should already the coordinates, I sent them while she was taking a little joy-ride around the system…"

"And I though this was my command. Lieutenant?"

"Captain, I have the coordinates and desired speeds, but I do not think this is a wise course of action. Those new systems have yet to be tested and from what I have seen… it is dangerous, especially from someone who has not stepped foot on a Starfleet ship in over a year" Pavlova replied with a slight frown.

"Lieutenant…"

"With the Captain's permission…" Franks said with a smile as he stood. "Lieutenant, this assignment is the product of nine months work by agencies that you do not even know exist. I am well aware of your qualifications and…"

"Sir, my father helped design…" She said quickly.

"Lieutenant Natacia Pavlova, only child of Doctor Sergei Pavlov… one of the designers of the NX-02 project and specialist in warp propulsion. He theorised that a Warp Five engine could be easily modified for speeds up to Warp Six but was shut down by Starfleet Command and shortly afterwards he retired after burning his work. Fourteen months ago, you where arrested after a bar fight with an Andorian during which time you hit him with an empty beer bottle and almost killed him. Let me get one thing straight Miss Pavlova, this mission is a key section in a much wider mission which you are not cleared to know about. If we do not make beyond warp 6.5, we will miss our rendezvous with Enterprise and the whole chain of events will unfold. Almost a year of undercover operations, and perfectly timed assignments will collapse because you '_Do not think it is wise_'. With each second I stand here explaining this to you… Enterprise gets further away and we risk missing our rendezvous with a ship that has no idea of it's new orders. I suggest that you proceed with the instructions as given to you by my superiors… or you will be relieved of duty and we will find someone who will, am I clear Lieutenant?"

Shock echoed around the bridge as he stood at her side, not by what he had said, but by the soft and almost soothing tone in his voice as he seemingly slapped the helm officer down politely and with a wide smile on his face.

"Captain?" She said as she looked at T'Lana.

"Wow! Umm… bring us to speed, slowly…"

"Yes Ma'am!" She said with a smile.

"Monitor the systems, if anything looks out of place… shut down the engines. Billy, I will not risk this ship and crew for a mission that I know very little about"

"Good enough. Pavlova, if you can make 6.5 or higher… that will give us time before NX-01 is out of range" Franks said with a soft smile.

"Yes… Mister Franks"

Placing his hand on her shoulder softly, he nodded before he returned to the Communications station as the ship entered warp while the helm officer counted off the speed like a taking clock.

"Warp 2... 3...4... This is where we usual start to shake… warp five. System is in the green, increasing speed. Warp 6..."

"Captain, I am detecting some… vibrations in the port nacelle, wait… what the hell? They are levelling out" Tarkin said slowly.

"We are passing the threshold of warp 6.5... Speed is now… oh my god, this ship has more to offer, but levelling off at Warp 6.7!" She yelled with enjoyment. "She's fighting me back, but I can handle it"

"Congratulations people, we are now the fastest ship in Starfleet, once again" Franks laughed.

"Keep an eye on that port Nacelle Tarkin. I want a full check on all systems…" T'Lana said with a deep frown.

"Wouldn't hurt to run a few battle drills either. We need the crew at full efficiency" Franks said, much to T'Lana's annoyance.

"E.T.A. NX-01?" She said as she glared at her husband.

"Current speed, three hours ten minutes Captain"

"Good… Cortez, take command. William… ready room, _NOW!_"

Instantly, everyone looked around the two of them as T'Lana stood from the command chair and spun to face the ready room as her hair whipped around while her husband stood and watched her leave as Cortez walked towards the centre seat.

"Whoops!" Cortez smiled. "She's pissed at you Franks"

"Yeah, I got that. I can always count on your too state the obvious Andy"

"_GET IN HERE!_" T'Lana yelled as she stood at the door which led to her ready room.

Entering the ready room with a smile, his smile suddenly changed as he saw the purest of anger in her face as she clenched her fists and stood before him as her eyes burned. If she was human, her face would be glowing red with anger.

"What the hell are you doing Bill? This is _MY _Command…"

"I know… I know, just listen for a moment?. I had my choice of any ship in the fleet T'Lana… but I wanted this ship, I wanted you! You have no idea of the _SHIT-STORM_ that _I_ prevented from falling upon this ship, from falling on _YOU!_. If it wasn't for me T'Lana…" He said with a softer tone in his voice. "… Wessex would have had Excalibur orbiting Andoria, not Challenger. I have been protecting you and your crew from his inept command since I left. I know that I have not been around at all in the last year…"

"I don't need your protection Billy, I need you!" She said as she seemed to calm down before his eyes.

"Honey, I know that… I wish, I wish I could tell you everything, I really do… this ship is my home and it's crew are my family… even Pavlova…" He said with a soft smile. "… But I can't tell you what I do not know. What small part I know… I can tell you, we are a part of a major offensive against the Romulans and one that elevate this ship and your crew to the status of living legends. When this is over, I'm free from Starfleet… the V'Shar… everything"

"What? You still work for Starfleet?" She said with shock.

"More-or-less. A joint service within the Coalition, you must have noticed that things are changing around here. There is a much larger plan in play here, I only know a small part of it… but we've lost a lot in this damned war T'Lana. What we're about to do will be the beginning of the end of this war in our favour" He said with an almost fear in his eyes.

"Then tell me, I can help" T'Lana replied softly.

"I can't, Ohh… I wish that I could share with you the things that I have seen, but I can't do that. For your own safety T'Lana, I can't do that… please, I beg you to respect that"

"Of course. But once this is over… I want answers!" She said softly.

"If I can, I will. Once this mission is over I am free like I said. I've spent some of the last year on Vulcan, I found a place… close by your family home. I know that it may be a difficult for us to have a family T'Lana… but can we try?"

"W-W-What?" She blushed deeply.

"I want a future and a family with you… I have some ideas and I know of a doctor that may be able to help us conceive a child. With my connections within the V'Shar and Starfleet Command, I can have you released from Starfleet, if that's what you want? As a part of my cover on Vulcan, I have established a small R&amp;D Company that is designing small shuttlecraft for civilian use… when this is over, I intend to return to that position with you at my side, if you want?"

For the second time in over a year, tears of joy and not sadness flowed down her face as she wrapped her arms around him gently as she wept in his arms and repeated '_Yes_' over and over. Although the secrets that his mind must contain was almost too much for her to bare, she refrained from melding with his mind and taking the information he knew out of respect for the man before her, even though she wanted nothing more then to enter his mind and see the plan for herself.

"A family? You want a family?" She said as she stepped back and wiped her eyes clean of her tears.

"Yes! I have long since accepted the fact that you will outlive me by decades T'Lana, I want to spend my remaining years with you… raising our children together" Franks smiled.

"Can we trust the Doctor you know? I mean with my… background?"

"Alright, this goes no further… I've been to Romulus, for six weeks I was surgically altered and walked amongst them. They are not all that dissimilar, with the acceptation of the Reman species… a long story. What I can tell you, there is not a doctor on Vulcan who can tell the difference between you and a Full-Blood Vulcan. The Doctor I know… has been cleared by T'Pau herself" He said with a smile.

"You know T'Pau?" T'Lana said with shock.

"Yes, I count her as one of my few friends on Vulcan and she knows of you… she speaks very highly of you. Once this is over, I'll introduce you"

"Liar!" She laughed.

"Yeah, we've never met in person… but she knows about you and wants to keep you and your family close. So, do you want to be a mother?" He smiled.

"Of course!" She said with instant laughter. "But first, we have an assignment, one thing… this is my ship and my command. You follow my lead… and in my absence, Cortez is in command"

"Ohh come on! Cortez is an idiot!"

"No, he isn't Billy… he learned from you… then perhaps maybe he is!"


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three

Star Trek Excalibur

Chapter Three

Thirteen Months Earlier…

After being relieved of command of the Excalibur his Starfleet Career seemed to be in ruins as he stood before one of the small Excalibur Shuttlepods, a tiny craft utilized by all Starfleet vessels seemingly less and less since the Transporter had become a standard piece of equipment installed on all Starfleet vessels. Since he was forced to leave the service and he was no longer given clearance to step foot in any Starfleet facility, the only way he could say goodbye to his wife of several months was to have one of the Excalibur's support vessels to land before his sister's home on Earth where both he and T'Lana had been staying during what had been called a 'Refit' of the vessel. Basically, all advanced Starfleet technology had seemingly been stripped from the ship and replaced with less then standard technology and downgraded the ship itself from a Dreadnought Class vessel, to a boarder patrol vessel. Tears flowed down T'Lana's face as he held her in his arms gently as she spoke.

"I-I don't want to go Billy… Can-can I not just stay here?"

"Lana, you have too go! You can't leave that ship in the hands of Cortez, he's an idiot!" William said, forcing a slight laughter from her.

"He's not that bad Billy, you know that" Replied T'Lana as she sighed at the sound of her nick-name.

"I know, at least you smiled. It's only a twelve month tour… hopefully, those assholes at command will have their head in the game and end this war before then"

"I know… but it's a year Billy, I don't think I can go for a full year without…"

"We've done it before. Remember when you left me for another assignment…?" William said with an almost regret.

"The biggest mistake of my life" She said as she wiped her eyes. "I was… afraid that when you found out what I… what I was, that you wouldn't love me anymore" She whispered.

"Nothing can stop my feelings for you T'Lana, not even your grandfather's D.N.A… it isn't your fault what he was, perhaps, perhaps it is even that small part of you that has made you who you are today? Think about it, your mother is exactly the same as you… and she is living a normal life on Vulcan"

"But, but what will you do now?"

"I don't know Lana, I don't know. But I can tell you one thing… I will find you out there somehow. Even though I have been grounded by Starfleet, confined to Earth as apart of my punishment… I'll find a way. Besides, Starfleet or not… Excalibur is our vessel and our family" William smiled softly.

"Just, don't do anything stupid Billy. I know you, remember?" She laughed.

From inside the Shuttlepod a female voice called out as T'Lana wiped her eyes and looked back towards the face of a middle-aged man half hanging out of the small vessel.

"Commander, we should leave. I've just received word from Commander Cortez, we have our orders. We have to leave in one hour"

"Just, hang on!" She yelled.

"She'll be with you in a moment Crewman" William called out. "You should go. I'll contact you tomorrow, besides… something will come up, it always does"

"Of course…" She wept once more. "I should be going now…"

"Be safe T'Lana. I'll speak with you soon"

After a few more moments together, she finally cleaned the tears from her face and took a deep breath as she straightened her shoulders and walked towards the tiny vessel. Before she stepped into the vessel, she turned once more and took one last look at her husband as he nodded slightly before she pulled the door closed and the finally the vessel lifted off the ground and slowly disappeared into the clouds above while he watched the vessel disappear as spoke to himself '_Be Safe_'. Taking a deep breath, the sound of footsteps moved towards him as boots crunched on the gravel beneath a middle-aged man's feet as the man spoke.

"That must have been rough William"

"Very! What do you want Hideo?" William said with a slight anger as he turned.

"You where correct when you said that '_Something will turn up!_' I have a little job for you"

"In case you've forgotten… Admiral Chen, I've been cashiered from Starfleet, your orders remember?" He said with a deep sigh.

"Not exactly! You're file is simply… inactive. Tell me, what do you know about the V'Shar?"

"Vulcan Security, similar to Starfleet Intelligence… now there's an oxymoron if ever I heard one…"

"Funny! You should do stand-up comedy. We've been working with the V'Shar on several assignments along with similar Andorian and Tellerite agencies, unofficially we have formed a new agency within the Coalition… and we want you as a part of that agency"

"ME?" He said with laughter.

"This is no joke Bill, the assignment is on Vulcan, you'll have to make your own way and your own accommodations. But this is where it gets fun… in three days, you will report to a Vulcan named Sovol, he'll be your S-O on this assignment and brief you on what you'll need to know…" Gently, the Admiral threw a small data-chip into Franks' left hand as he continued. "… For several… years now, Vulcan Intel has believed that a Romulan Agent is working inside their government, so far they have not been able to identify who this agent is. I told them about your… '_Skill-set_' Some of the Vulcans do not like you very much William, but they are eager for a new perspective. This assignment is none-negotiable Captain Franks, you have been reactivated and reassigned to the V'Shar as… an observer"

"And if I say no?" William smiled, as if to test the Admiral before him.

"I know about your wife William, I know about her background and for the moment, that is between the two of us. What would happen if that information is leaked to Starfleet Security? It would not only effect the Commander but her mother, you and your entire family." He said with a deep growl. "Do not test me Franks"

"If you harm her or anyone close to me, I will kill you and everyone around you Hideo. I can't believe that _YOU_ of all people would resort to blackmail like this" William said as he stepped closer to the Admiral, his eyes burning with rage.

"Take the post and I will scrub all evidence of her background after you complete the assignment. Your mother-in-law is a school teacher am I correct?"

"Don't try it!" William said with anger as he grabbed the Admiral by his tunic.

"I actually met T'Lara several weeks ago on Vulcan, she's a very beautiful woman… I can see where her daughter gets her looks. A petty I'm married…" He said with a nervous laugh. "… Just accept the assignment Billy"

"Alright, not for you. Not for _Starfleet_ but to protect my family… from _YOU!_ Once this is over, you and I will have a little chat about this Hideo… for the moment, our friendship has ended… now, get off my families property or I will shoot you as a trespasser"

"I regret this had to happen William after all we've been friends for years, … it was me who got you to join Starfleet in the first place" He said with a deep regret.

_Three Days Later…_

After arriving on Vulcan sixteen hours earlier William was greeted at the Spaceport by his eccentric Vulcan mother-in-law who had insisted that he stay on Vulcan in her family home as an honoured guest. Transferring from freighter to freighter three times during his longer then usual journey had taken two days as exhaustion had set in as he finally accepted the offer of a place to stay on the harsh and arid planet of his wife's birth, a barely a Minshara Class planet suitable for humans, the gravity was higher then Earth at sea-level at 1.4 earth normal gravity, making a Vulcan twice as strong as a human. After once again returning to what had become his family home away from Earth and a much needed rest and shower, he left for the Headquarters of the V'Shar agency where he was greeted with less then enthusiasm from the Vulcan officers who had been working on the case file for months. He knew instantly that their views of him was not because of his assignment to this case but the fact of his marriage to a Vulcan woman who in their eyes, had turned her back on the traditional Vulcan teachings of Surak himself.

After being instructed on where to go in the less then polite Vulcan way, he followed the directions into what appeared to be a large gymnasium where a large and tall Vulcan was instructing three younger officers in self defence.

"Sovol? I am…"

"The… officer from Starfleet who apparently we are unable to work without. I am aware of your name Human"

"I was instructed to report directly to you by Admiral Chen" He said politely.

"As I previously stated Captain Franks, I am aware of who and what you are. Before you interrupted my lesson, I was instructing my fellow _Vulcan_ officers in self defence. Please, step aside and allow me to observe this… Human. As you would say, '_Take a Staff_' Human… I wish to observe your abilities"

"Sovol, I've spent two days leaping from freighter to freighter in order to get to this shit-hole of a planet, I've had very little to eat and only four hours sleep in that time and for some reason… there is not even a coffee bean on this dust-bowl of hell-hole. I am tired, hungry and have been albeit blackmailed into this assignment. I am in no mood for games…" Franks said harshly.

"Students, observe how the Human complains already and how his emotions rule him. They appear to sleep for almost half a day and the smell… is almost intolerable" Sovol said to his students. "It is a wander that this specimen has secured himself a Vulcan wife with the intention of diluting the purity of Vulcan blood with their D.N.A"

Removing his thin leather-like jacket, Franks threw it onto a bench at his side as he picked up a two-meter long staff and stood before the Vulcan as he spoke with a slight laughter in his voice.

"Students, observe the Vulcan himself. A tall and proud specimen of Vulcan stature. I have little doubt that will be dependent on his height and Vulcan strength perhaps to intimidate his opponents and with such a large muscular stature comes fatal flaws in agility… after all, there is a human saying… '_A thousand tiny cuts, can do more harm then a single larger cut_' Observe the Vulcan… as he falls to a thousand cuts"

Spinning the large wooden staff around his body, gaining speed with each revolution, the large Vulcan swung his weapon towards Franks as he simply stepped aside and swung his own weapon into his opponent's face hard. Staggering for a moment, the much larger and stronger Vulcan regained his balance as the battle had commenced between the two. The sound of wood smashing again wood filled the air as Franks moved around Sovol swiftly as he paced his breathing in the thin Vulcan air in an attempt to cool himself as sweat poured him.

"Do you intend to fight me or overpower me with your human odours?" Sovol said as their staffs clashed.

"Ahh, my secret weapon… death by sweat!" Franks mocked.

"You are indeed a formidable opponent Human… but you lack the mental discipline of a Vulcan. Even now you are tiring"

"Ohh? I'm just getting started. Let's play!" Franks mocked once more past his own exhaustion.

The battle between the two had evolved into something of pride for Franks as Sovol continued with his powerful assault until he finally swung his large staff and connected with the wooden staff Franks was holding, snapping it cleanly in two before it connected with his ribcage as Franks gasped for air for a brief moment.

"Perhaps we should end this for now our human observer is tired… I have no idea why a Vulcan woman would show interest in your frail species as your wife appears too"

"Okay, that hurt! Nice move with the ribs. T'Lana couldn't get satisfaction from a Vulcan… so she looked elsewhere. I see that hot little Vulcan chick checking me out, looks like more Vulcans want to try a little human" He mocked. "Ohh and by the way, you over-reach with each strike, and you're off balance Mister Vulcan" He mocked.

"Not possible"

Finding his footing once more and stretching out his side as pain echoed through his body, Franks spun the halves of the wooden staff like swords as he circled the much larger Vulcan as he winked at the Vulcan woman before his eyes returned to the large man before him.

"Now, let's see how good you really are" He said almost gasping for air.

Rapidly defending himself with the two halves of the broken staff weapon, he moved around the large quickly as he defended himself while sweat poured off of his body soaking the black shirt he was wearing. Finally seeing his opening, he leapt forwards with a powerful attack with both weapons as his muscles became tired from the attack as he leapt into the air and swung the left half of the staff and connected with the Vulcan's head knocking him off balance as Franks landed he crouched to avoid the staff being swung over his head while placing both halves side-by-side, he swept the Vulcan off his feet with a powerful swipe as he spun around and watched with satisfaction as his large opponent fell to the ground hard.

Gasping for breath as sweat poured off his body, Franks removed the restricting shirt from his back and threw it onto the floor away from him as the Vulcan stood and bowed slightly with respect.

"Impressive Human. I see that you are no stranger to conflict in this manner. Where did you learn such a technique?"

"Spartacus!" Franks said as he regained his breath slowly. "Plus, I've a few Klingons in my time"

"And yet you still survive. Very impressive, however I see that you are not without scars. Those can be removed, even by human medicines" Sovol said slowly.

"We must face our past and learn from it" Franks replied.

"Interesting, you quote from the teachings of Surak?"

"General Sun Tzu actually, paraphrased of course"

Bowing once more with politeness, the Vulcan tipped his staff to signal the fight was over as Franks stood tall while his hands clenched onto the two halves of the wooden Staff as he bowed slightly with respect before the Vulcan replied.

"Perhaps a challenge Mister Franks? Students, stand ready"

"Four of you?" Franks sighed deeply.

"No sir, I shall merely observe. My students have yet to face an opponent of your calibre, it should be an interesting training session. Of course, if you would prefer to rest first?" Sovol replied, almost mocking him.

He sighed deeply as the three young Vulcan Officers circled him slowly with their staffs raised as he seemingly analysed each of them in turn while Sovol stepped back and watched him carefully while his three students each moved in for the first strike almost simultaneously. Each swinging their weapons at the same time, Franks dropped to his knees as the two males hit each other hard before falling to the ground hard as Franks stood and turned towards the Vulcan woman with a smile as he spun the two weapons in his hands slowly to gather momentum as he spoke.

"That was a stupid move… they had to know that was coming, nice move though Miss, you faked the attack so they could move in. but I can see in your eyes self doubt. I don't want to hurt you, do not force my hand"

From the far side of the corridor, the Starfleet Admiral who had recruited Franks for the assignment walked along side an elderly Vulcan as the sound of wood against wood echoed through the corridors as they spoke while approaching the training room.

"… Need I remind you Admiral, your choice of observers for such an assignment is a cause for concern amongst many of my people"

"I'm aware of that Director nevertheless, William James Franks is one of the finest young men I have met in a long time. He has an analytical mind that we humans sometimes lack… once he accepts an assignment, he will see it through to the end no-matter the outcome" Chen said with almost pride.

"I have been made aware of his approach and his service record Admiral. He was demoted several years ago and most recently of course he has been disbarred from service…" Replied the Vulcan.

"I know he's a little rough around the edges Director, but never forget that you came to me and asked for my help, I have delivered that help"

As they approached the entrance to the training room, Chen stood in shock as he saw one Vulcan male unconscious on the ground while a second sat bleeding from his nose and mouth as Franks gasped for air while he was circled by the Vulcan woman and Sovol himself as he deflected their attacks as the last of his strength seemed to drain away until he collapsed to his knees while waving the two halves of his former weapon in defence.

"_STOP!_" Called out the Vulcan Director.

"No!" Franks growled as he staggered too his feet and stood ready.

"William, stop!" Chen called out.

"This… training is over" Sovol said as he threw his staff away and bowed before Franks with a deep respect.

Once more, his legs gave way before he was caught by Sovol and the Vulcan woman gently.

"You have proven yourself Mister Franks, do not allow yourself to fall by pride alone. Admiral Chen, Director… this Human may prove an invaluable asset in the coming days" Sovol said slowly.

"You've earned your pay for the months kid, let's get you to medical quarters" Chen said slowly as he walked towards them.

Gasping for breath, he nodded slightly as he stood on his own two feet past his exhaustion. Walking towards the door, he shook his hand free of the Admiral's as he glared at him darkly before turning back to Sovol and bowing slightly as he spoke.

"A… rematch… for another… time" He said politely.

"Until then, when you are fully rested" Sovol replied.

As he left the room, he refused medical attention against the arguments of the Admiral and the Director he had now been assigned too as he left the building while his strength slowly returned to him. As he walked the streets of the Vulcan city, he felt every eye upon his as blood trickled down his chest and back and mixed with his own sweat as it burned the cuts on his body as he finally reached his Vulcan home and fell into the door with exhaustion before falling unconscious.

Twelve hours later, he awoke in a darkened room as bandages wrapped around his chest and arms as a face slowly came into view, the face of Admiral Chen as he groaned with disappointment at who was stood before him.

"If this is hell, at least I'm not alone" He groaned as he sat up.

"This isn't hell kid, but that Vulcan you put down may wish it is. You broke four of his ribs and dislocated his left arm… needless to say, he's a little pissed at you" Chen laughed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Franks said before a voice called out, a voice called out from his let.

"I called him Billy, he told me what happened… I know everything, about your deal, the whole story" T'Lara said with concern.

"All of it, and you let him live?" Franks laughed slightly.

"You have to understand William, I had no choice in this matter… I was not about to reveal your family's past as it would place a great strain on our relationship with the Vulcan people. It was Director Sh'Long who asked for my help, I would not jeopardise that relationship with our most important allies" He said with regret.

"Billy, trust him" T'Lara said with a smile.

"No, but I will work with him Mother… help me up…" He said as he groaned deeply. "I feel like I was hit by a freight train. I read those files you gave me Chen, I think I have narrowed it down to four possibilities and you're not going to like it one bit"

"Already?" Chen said slowly. "I should inform Director Sh'Long right away"

"Sh'Long?…" He said with a painful laugh. "… putting aside all ancient earth slang terms of an unfortunate name. I wouldn't do that, the Director is on the list, we need someone we can trust and I think I know just the person. Get me some very-_VERY_ strong painkillers and call for Sovol, he will want to hear this"

"Sovol? The Vulcan who put you in a sick-bed for half a day?" T'Lara said with slight anger.

"One and the same, I could also use a shower" He laughed before wincing in pain.

"We should really get you to a doctor Billy and you are correct, you could use a shower. It may take days to get the smell out of this room" T'Lara said as she smiled slightly.


	4. Chapter 4

Part Three

Star Trek Excalibur

Chapter Four

Present Day…

_Captain's Log, Supplemental._

_For three days we have been at warp 4.5 heading towards our rendezvous with the rest of the Battle Group assigned to use since this war began. The loss of the Challenger has been like an open wound for the crew as several of our former crew where assigned to that ship under Captain Roy Dunsel, the crew has yet to recover from that loss and for me I face the loss of a comrade. In light of recent events, I have ordered the crew to take a much needed day of rest before we reach the fleet although Mister Reed has taken the time to conduct training exercises in the ship's gym which I have repeatedly turned down, Captain's Prerogative._

_End Log Entry._

For three days the Enterprise NX-01 continued on her course at warp 3.5, a leisurely cruising pace for what was once Starfleet's fastest and most advanced cruiser, now little more then an almost obsolete design since the rest of the NX-Fleet had been designed using the schematics of the younger vessel, Columbia. Now closing on the end of her service life within the fleet, the proud and legendary Flagship of Starfleet had years earlier undergone a full refit to bring her up to code with the rest of the NX-Class fleet, unofficially named as the '_Columbia Class_' much to Archer's personal regrets and annoyance.

Sat in his ready room, Archer once again reviewed his past orders and decisions during the past crisis while his dog sat on his lap, half asleep. Almost growling to himself, Archer placed his loving pet on the deck plating below him before he deactivated the computer screen and stood from his console.

"What do you say Porthos, time for bed? I thought so too. Come on boy!"

Softly slapping his leg, he walked towards the bridge and looked around as several of the nightshift crew had already taken to their posts while Commander T'Pol stood from the command seat as he entered.

"Relax Commander, just going to bed" He said with a yawn.

"Of course. Good night Captain…" She said politely. "We should rendezvous with the fleet at 0500 hours tomorrow morning. Shall I awake you sir?"

"Nope! I think you can handle that Commander, Good night"

Slowly walking towards the Turbolift with his pet ever at his side, he reached out for the door controls as an alarm sounded from the science station and the young lieutenant peered into the scope before looking up in shock and checking once more in disbelief.

"What is it Lieutenant?" Archer said with a deep sigh.

"I'm not sure Captain. I'm picking up a vessel approaching at… very high speeds, Commander, would you mind verifying these readings, I think the sensors might be out of alignment because these readings are impossible"

Standing from the centre seat, T'Pol walked around the consoles towards the science station as Archer sighed deeply before he stepped onto the lower half of the Enterprise bridge and looked up at his Vulcan Science officer as she rechecked the readings and raised an eyebrow in surprise as she spoke.

"Your readings are confirmed Lieutenant DiNozzo… Captain, sensors are detecting what appears to be an NX Class vessel approaching at Warp… 6.7"

"That's impossible… Wait, can you identify the vessel Commander, and don't tell me what I'm thinking" He frowned slightly.

"I am sorry sir, the readings are confirmed as the Starfleet vessel… Excalibur" T'Pol said as she stood and faced him.

"Sorry boy, looks like nap time is on hold. I thought that ship was decommissioned?"

"The Excalibur was merely… refit, it appears that her crew has found a way to overcome those limitations"

"Captain, we are receiving an urgent hail from the Excalibur… Priority One, Gold Channel" Called out the Communications officer.

"Captain's eyes only" T'Pol replied.

"On screen" Archer sighed deeply.

"Sir? Regulations state…"

"On screen… Crewman" Archer sighed as he sat in his chair.

"That's Lieutenant sir" DiNozzo said slowly.

"Not if you interrupt me or quote regulations again… On-Screen"

On the screen before them, an almost exact replica of the Enterprise bridge appeared as the unusual Vulcan he had many dealings with in the past sat in the Captain's chair with a gentle smile on her face as she scanned the entire bridge crew before looking back at Archer himself as he spoke.

"In a hurry Commander?"

"You could say that Captain. Pavlova, match Enterprise's speed and heading. Captain Archer, someone wishes to speak with you and your command staff right away. Stand by to drop out of warp and wake your crew sir. This is going to be a long day sir" T'Lana said with respect.

"Who wants to speak with me… Ohh hell!" Archer moaned as a familiar face stepped into view.

"Hello John, I bet you weren't expecting to see me again" Franks said with a smile.

"You have no idea Franks. No wander I've head a headache for a day or two… what is it now?"

"I can't say much over an open channel, standby to receive myself and T'Lana in twenty minutes. We're going to put an end this war, once and for all" Franks said with dark half smile.

Twenty minutes later, the Enterprise and the Excalibur had dropped out of warp close to a nebula as the Excalibur grazed the edges of the gigantic gas cloud as the Commander and their guest beamed onboard the Enterprise itself. Although not happy to see the unusual former Starfleet officer again, it was something in his voice that said he could almost trust the man as Archer and command crew waited for their guests in the command centre onboard the ship, a remnant from the Xindi incident which had been added to the rest of the fleet for their own needs as an intelligence asset and perhaps, the most secured room on the vessel itself.

Lead into the large room, Franks looked around and nodded at each of the officers he had come to know over the past years of his service since he had many dealings with the Enterprise and her crew.

"Well John, it's good to see you again, you look well" Franks said as he offered his hand.

"Down to business Franks, what is it that you want from this ship. I spoke with Starfleet Command before you came onboard, they have no knowledge of your being out here"

"That's because they wouldn't know Archer, you see… I don't work for Starfleet Command. What do you know about… the V'Shar, Commander T'Pol?"

"More then you might think Mister Franks, I once worked for the Vulcan Ministry of Security" She said as she closely observed the blonde Vulcan woman on the room.

"Yes I know… and so do I" He said with a slight laughter.

"I find that difficult to believe Mister Franks" T'Pol replied.

"The people that I work for, work along side the V'Shar… I have been granted full access to their facility and well… everything actually. Let's just say that we're a combined unit and move onto the reason that we are here and I have hidden the Excalibur in that nebula…"

"I was wandering about that" called out Malcolm Reed.

"Once we have left this ship, you will continue along your current course at warp 2.5 in exactly 21.5 hours, you will receive a broadband automated distress call from the NX-Class Starship Achilles…"

"Sir, there is no Achilles" Reed said with confusion.

"There is now, according too official records it was launched six days ago and was to be placed along the front lines…"

"However?" Commander Tucker sighed, fearing the answer.

"However… it was specifically built by the V'Shar for this reason, constructed at a secret shipyard and designed with a very specific job in mind. Your job is once you hear that call, proceed at maximum warp towards the Achilles and attempt too recover her. Her crew will be dead and the ship's automated distress call activated when no life signs where detected onboard… the only problem is, the Romulans will have heard the call and will be on their way to recover the Achilles also"

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Tucker sighed. "… The Romulans?"

"Let me guess, you want the Achilles to be captured by the Romulan forces?" Archer said.

"Didn't I tell you he was a fast learner T'Lana? That is exactly what we want. They will believe that they have captured our latest vessel with all of the latest technology intelligence and so on, but what they will have a Trojan Horse. It should only take them weeks to find the information we planted in that database…"

"What information?" Reed sighed.

"Information about a Secret Facility we are constructing close to their space, they will have noticed Andorian vessels moving around that sector of space"

"Forgive me for saying Mister Franks…" Said Hoshi Sato slowly. "… But isn't it dangerous allowing the Romulans access to one of our ships? Even if it is a fake?"

"It is Ensign" T'Lana said softly. "It is also a tactical gamble, I've looked over the data on that ship, it's not quiet Starfleet Standard but made to look like it and supplemented with what appears advanced Andorian and Vulcan technology along with several Tellerite items, just to wet their appetite"

"You want them to think that we have more help?" Reed smiled. "Impressive… assuming that they fall for this, where does that leave you and your ship?"

The slight one-sided smile on Franks' face disappeared instantly and replaced by a look of darkness as he circled the display table and walked towards Captain Archer as he spoke firmly.

"This assignment is None-Negotiable Captain, I have little doubt that the Romulans will send four ships to recover the Achilles, after a brief engagement with the Romulan Forces, you will turn around and haul-ass out of the combat zone, allowing them to take the Achilles,. I know what you are thinking Archer, and you are wrong, Enterprise is not expendable you will not allow them to take this vessel or everything will be lost. Excalibur has her own mission, you will also have _NO_ help on this one, the fleet is needed elsewhere. This assignment is apart of much larger offensive that is purely a need too know Opp, and right no… You don't need to know the rest"

"I will not put this ship and crew in danger for an assignment that I know nothing of Mister Franks…" Archer replied with anger in his eyes.

"Everyone but Archer, T'Lana and Reed, get out now!" Franks said harshly. "What do you want it in writing? Get _OUT!_" Franks growled.

Shock overcame the command staff of the Enterprise as they looked at Archer as Franks turned quickly and nodded with the purest of anger in his eyes. As the command staff of the ship left the room with the exception of Lieutenant Reed, Franks turned back towards Archer before pushing past him and placed a small data-chip into a port on one of the consoles before the face of Starfleet Admiral Hideo Chen appeared on all screens as Archer turned to the nearest screen with his eyes a blaze at the situation itself.

_Captain Jonathon Archer, Starship Enterprise NX-01. If you are seeing this message then I have little doubt that you have either refused or questioned the instructions given to you by William Franks. Effective as of six days ago, the Enterprise has been transferred under my command at Starfleet Intelligence for the duration of this mission along with several other vessels needed for this operation. __**CAPTAIN**__ Franks has full authority on this highly classified assignment he is requested and required to utilize any and all Coalition assets for the duration of this mission. I know that you do not like working in the dark Archer, but for reasons of security this is a must. The Achilles assignment is the keystone in a much larger offensive as directed by Bill Franks himself. If you can not follow the instructions as given to you, you will be relieved of duty effective immediately and your First Officer will take your place. You will be confined to your quarters for the duration, it will not reflect on your record, just that you have been taken from duty due too medical illness. Follow your orders Captain Archer, this assignment is Paramount to Starfleet's war effort. I regret that we can not inform you of the rest of the mission… once again, Follow your orders Captain._

_Admiral Hideo Chen, Starfleet Intelligence._

"What the hell is going on around here Franks?" Archer growled.

"Need to know John, and we need you at the head of your ship, not T'Pol. She's a fine officer but she is not a trained Starfleet Captain…"

"So what am I doing here?" Reed said quickly.

"Look sir, this is a top level assignment and short of a miracle, I need you at the head of your ship and with your permission John, I would like to borrow Lieutenant Reed… I could use his… expertise" Franks said quickly.

"Why? Need to know, I got it. Is this really that big that can't know about it?"

"Bigger!" T'Lana said with a smug grin.

"Archer, I would love to tell you everything, but I can't. If in the small event that this ship is captured by Romulan forces they will find out about the rest of the operation and we're done for. I know that we have had a somewhat… shaky past especially six months ago when I came onboard…"

"What?" T'Lana said with shock. "You've been onboard Enterprise?"

"Not not Lana, I'll explain later. I know what happened between us, for the moment sir… let's put that behind us, as Chen said this is Paramount… Mister Reed has certain, expertise that I require for this assignment, he is welcome to stay, but I could really use his help on this one. Will you trust me on this one?" Franks said with an almost urgency in his voice.

"I won't and don't trust you Franks, as for Reed… that is not my call, Malcolm?"

"I'm interested sir however, my first duty is to the Enterprise and you" Reed replied with politeness.

"If you want to go along Malcolm… as the Admiral said, I can't stop you"

"Thank you sir. Well Mister Franks, it seems that I am all yours"

"Excellent. Lana, would you escort Malcolm to the Excalibur and brief him on his assignment… I have something… else to discuss with the Captain and his Command Staff"

"We said no secrets Billy" T'Lana said with slight anger.

"Just this one Lana, I'll be back soon…"

_Personal Log, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed. Entry: Classified._

_A rather… lengthy briefing by the most unusual Vulcan I have ever met has left me with feelings of almost unease in the upcoming operation. Assuming the operation is a success, it should tip the balance of this costly war in the favour of the Coalition. Although this operation has been planned down to the last, it is still a very large gamble on the part of the young Coalition and the prospect of handing over an NX-Class Starship to our most violent enemy is not one that I enjoy thinking about even though the vessel itself has been designed and built especially for this operation nevertheless, the possible outcome of this operation… the capture of a Romulan vessel does hold my interest._

_End Log Entry._

It had been six hours since William Franks had returned from the Enterprise and his mood had turned to anger and darkness almost the instant he materialised on the transporter platform along with three Marine officers at his side and the stress level within the ship itself had leapt as they cruised towards their target destination at Warp 4.5 whilst one vital and final piece of equipment was installed onboard the ship. Along with the four Enterprise crew, William Franks had refused to leave the ship's gymnasium as he drilled each one of them in hand-to-hand combat he had picked up during his highly classified deep-cover operation to Romulus not so long ago. Pressing each of them towards the point of exhaustion and beyond, he continued with the training as he called out the exercise routine he had devised especially for this operation while his small four person team seemed to flail about with exhaustion until Lieutenant Reed finally stood, his hands shaking and sweat pouring from his body as he spoke while trying to catch his breath.

"Sir!… we… need to stop!"

"NO! Continue!" Franks barked.

"_NO!_ We've been at it five hours. We're all exhausted and can barely move…"

"Yeah! Why is it so damned hot in here?" Called out a Female Marine Officer.

"Gravity and environmental systems have been slowly rising to Vulcan levels over the past two hours"

"_WHAT?_" Reed yelled.

"You need to learn this. It should be second nature to you all by now but you are resisting. Now… position one!" Franks growled.

"NO! It is enough for now" Reed yelled. "Dismissed"

"Stand fast Marines. Alright Reed, wanna take a shot at me? Let's see what you've learned. When I put you down, you get your ass up and continue. If you put me down… you rest and we start again in one hour, either way Reed… you _WILL_ learn this until it becomes muscle memory. Understood?"

"Deal!" Malcolm Reed Sighed.

Standing before the seasoned Starfleet Officer, Franks caught his breath as he nodded and removed his sweat covered T-Shirt before wiping his face and throwing it away as it slapped onto the floor. Living and training on the planet Vulcan, he appeared to have adapted to the planet's atmosphere and gravity with a well formed muscular and tanned body which was also covered with scars. As the Marines backed away, the female marine seemed to admire his physical stature with a smile as Reed sighed and caught his breath before the two circled each other and Reed threw his first punch, aiming directly at what appeared to be a fresh scar on Franks' right shoulder. Shock instantly gripped the Lieutenant as Franks caught his hand and swung around behind him, pressing his arm up his back as he whispered in his ear. '_Very slow Reed, like a child. Now, try again_' Staggering and finally catching his balance, Reed once again moved forwards as he threw punches left and right as Franks blocked each punch and seemingly playfully slapped his face with enjoyment as he spoke.

"You have learned nothing Reed! Perhaps I should have asked your second for this… I know you can do this Reed. Dig-deep" He said in mockery.

Reed once again threw punches and his exhaustion seemed to pass, he focused solely on the goal of knocking down the opponent before him as his attacks become more fluid in nature whilst the memories of what he had been taught over the past five and a half hours rushed back to him and he finally moved around the room swiftly, keeping low to the ground as Franks looked on with an almost smile on his face before punches connected with his ribcage and jaw in powerful succession and he finally fell to the ground hard. Slowly standing, Reed walked towards him and extended his hand to help him onto his feet as he displayed a smug grin on his face.

"One hour break then?" Reed said, gasping for air.

"I did make that deal. You hit like an anvil Reed, nice work. I said you'd pick it up… you just need to push more. Get some rest and something to eat everyone. Our Chef ain't as good as Enterprise's, but she'll give you anything you ask for. We'll continue this in a few hours… get outta here. Reed, a word?"


	5. Chapter 5

Part Three

Star Trek Excalibur

Chapter Five

_Romulan Star Empire_

_Planet: Romulus _

_Rateg City_

Beginning like any other day for the elderly former Admiral turned Romulan Senator, consisting of a briefing on the war effort against the Humans and several other works which where considered of top priority for the lonely old man of close too 180 years old. A meeting of the Senate itself had been convened for the next day where they would decide on the final strike against their bitter and inferior enemies, the Humans.

Sitting alone at his desk, he read over the many reports constantly before he decided to end the long day as each day had ended since his only son had joined the military campaign against their enemy, with him sat alone at his desk and staring out over the city before him as the door to his office slid open as his young assistant entered the room and his face instantly smiled at the sight of the young 24 year old woman who was assigned as his aide.

"Senator DaVaro, may I have a moment of your time?"

"Of course" D'Nari DaVaro said gently.

Slowly entering the large office, the young woman stepped around his large marble like desk before placing a data-tablet on his desk as it displayed a photo of a human male in his mid-thirties as she spoke.

"Do you recognise this Human sir?"

"Should I?" The Senator replied with a gentle smile.

"Yes you should sir. According to out Intelligence Service that shall go nameless for the moment, his name is William James Franks… former Starfleet Captain. You asked me once to look into all Starfleet captains in the region of _Ni'ala Three _and surrounding systems, I could not understand why his name continued to arise during the investigation until I dug deeper into that human sir. From what I have been able to ascertain, over one year ago he was disbanded from Starfleet Service after it was discovered that he married his first officer, a Vulcan Woman. Shortly afterwards, she was assigned as Commanding Officer of the Earth ship Excalibur in his absence…"

"I see" He said slowly as he ran his eyes up and down her body.

"… No sir, you do not, it appears that captain Franks made a deal with Starfleet, as my source told me… once his wife left for her vessel and although confined to Earth, _former_ Captain Franks appeared on Vulcan where he now is a permanent residence" She said slowly.

"A very… interesting story Sub-Lieutenant, but why am I listening to it?"

Smiling slightly, the Sub-Lieutenant activated the data-tablet once more as a Romulan face appeared on the screen along side the image of the human as the Senator looked at the image and nodded slightly.

"Sub-Commander Tovar… I know who he is. He stood in this office no more then a few months ago" DaVaro said quickly.

"Yes, recently returned from the front lines after a victory. I researched the name sir, I have found no record of a Sub-Commander Tovar in active service anywhere within the Imperial Fleet. Now, if my suspicions are correct sir, we have a serious problem. Before I entered this office sir, I conducted a facial analysis of the two images on screen now… the results should appear momentarily" replied the Sub-Lieutenant.

"Facial Recognition complete… images are a 100% match" Called out the computerised voice from the data-tablet.

"I was correct and I wish I was not sir…"

"What does this mean?" He said quickly.

"It means sir that Sub-Commander Tovar, was Infact the human William Franks surgically altered to appear Romulan…"

"_WHAT?_" He yelled.

"There is more sir. From my sources on Vulcan, Former Captain Franks is an… asset of the Vulcan V'Shar, he has conducted many assignments that a Vulcan would not, including the assassination of Admiral Chirac not so long ago, right here on Romulus in the Capital" She said with a dark smile. "… as you know the assassin was never identified Senator"

"It sounds as if you almost respect the man Sub-Lieutenant, but this is a disaster. If the Tal'Shiar find out about this…"

"Considering he was here, in this office and spent some time in your private home… and yes, I do respect the man sir. He entered our territory and walked amongst us for who knows how long and disappeared just as fast. I received a message from my source on Vulcan, William Franks disappeared several days ago from Vulcan, shortly before that… the Earth vessel Excalibur was spotted orbiting Vulcan… Excalibur is his wife's vessel"

"This is all very disturbing Sub-Lieutenant. Have you alerted the Military to this development?"

"No Senator, if you could locate and capture this rogue Human who's actions that not even the Starfleet is aware of you would become a hero to our peoples…"

"With you at my side Sub-Lieutenant?" He said as he continued too undress her with his eyes.

"As you say sir, my job is too assist with your day-to-day activates… if you bring this human to Justice for his crimes only then I will join with you as your Consort…" Almost instantly she bolted upright as her left hand touched the small earpiece in her left ear as she spoke with an urgency in her voice. "Stand-by Senator. It seems that your son's ship has intercepted a Human Starship automated distress beacon. It says that the crew is dead and the vessel is powerless… Senator, it is an NX-Class Starship the… Achilles. The nearest Starfleet ship, the Enterprise is hours away at their maximum warp, your son's ship can be there sooner"

"Excellent. Inform him too proceed… I want that vessel Sub-Lieutenant! Tell him to take any ships he needs, the Enterprise is a powerful weapon… perhaps they can capture that vessel also. It would make an interesting trophy and one more thing, get me everything you have on this William Franks…" DaVaro said with a growing dark smile.

"Yes Senator, right away" Smiled the young woman.

Alone in the darkness of the Command Centre onboard his former ship, Franks sat listening to the reports from the front-line as he was only illuminated by the glow from the monitors before him as on the large screen, displays of the sector blinked with several starship combat between Coalition and Romulan forces as he watched and listened to the many reports almost simultaneously as he seemed too analyse the Romulan tactics, the job he was originally assigned for when he arrived on Vulcan before he was finally assigned a young Vulcan assistant named Ta'Lar, a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties with an analytical mind the likes of which he had never before seen.

Leaning forwards in his chair, he looked up at the large centre screen before him as he smiled widely as four blinking red dots, which indicated the Romulan vessels slowly began to move from their positions towards the bait Starfleet had created as smiled deeply and spoke to himself. '_Gotcha!_'. almost instantly a voice from behind him called out as he almost leapt off his chair and spun around as the Enterprise officer, Malcolm Reed stepped out of the darkness.

"Got who?"

"When the hell did you come in?" He said quickly.

"Forgive me sir, I just entered. Is that what I think it is?" He pointed towards the screen before him.

"Yes and yes! To the second question I know is coming. We can read Romulan transponder codes. Right now… four Warbird Class ships have leapt into warp and heading towards the Achilles, they should reach that ship in sixteen minutes, three minutes before Archer…"

"And Starfleet knows of this?" Reed said as he walked towards the screen.

"Yes! But we don't broadcast the findings, if they knew then…"

"They would change all the codes… impressive, but something is wrong" Reed Said with a frown as he looked up at the display. "If I read this correctly… and I believe that I am where are the Columbia and Endeavour Battle Groups?"

"All right… I guess it's time. The Achilles assignment is Phase One of this little adventure. Those two fleets are running silent for Phase Two. Take a look, the Rommies are moving three ships from the Ni'ala System too bolster the Ragesh System, a vital component in their war efforts, in seventeen minutes… that system will fall to the combined Columbia-Endeavour group, shortly afterwards… we move in as the Romulans dispatch more ships from Ni'ala Three…"

"Ni'ala Three? There is nothing in that system…" Reed said with confusion.

"Not true. That system is the Beach-head for the entire sector with a small facility where the Romulans are building a prototype cruiser with Reman slave labour, that ship is our target. It is almost completed but for the moment she is unmanned" Franks smiled.

"How do you know this?"

"Contact the rest of your team, have them, Cortez and T'Lana report here right away… it's time I introduce you _ALL_ to a Romulan. Don't do it over the com-link Reed, get them in person…"

"You know what a Romulan looks like?" Reed said with shock. "Why has Starfleet not…"

"Reed, time is short… go!" He said as he looked back at the screen before him. "I'd say that you have ten minutes before this ship has to be at maximum warp"

Following the orders of the former Captain, Malcolm Reed had assembled the Enterprise MACO team along with the two commanders of the Excalibur in the Command Centre as Franks sealed the doors and deactivated all observation equipment within the room and stood before them with a stone cold serous look on his face as he looked into the eyes of everyone of them in turn.

"What you are about to see and hear is classified beyond top secret, there are only three people within Starfleet Command who know what I am about to tell you and only a hand-full within the Coalition itself. If this information is repeated outside of this room you will be shot and your remains vaporised. The Coalition is not ready for this information, it will destroy everything that each of you has fought for in the ten years that Earth has begun exploring deep space. Am I clear?"

"Yes!" They each said in turn.

"Very well. Several months ago, an Andorian starship discovered a vessel in their system, it was badly damaged after the Battle of Andoria, seeing an opportunity to analyse a Romulan ship they captured the vessel and boarded the ship itself, what they found onboard shocked them beyond belief. One hour later, myself and two others where dispatched from Vulcan onboard the cruiser D'Kyr to escort the ship back to a secret facility in the Vulcan System… we found forty-two bodies onboard thirty-two of them identified as Remans…"

"And the other ten?" Called out Cortez.

"Romulan Andy, they where Romulan…"

Shock overcame the team before Franks as he nodded slightly before turning towards a console and called up an image of one of the bodies on the main screen. A tall slender alien figure appeared before them, a hideously almost deformed face with sharp teeth and piercing yellow looking eyes with greyish skin and pointed ears which resembled something out of an old horror movie from the early twentieth century.

"This… is a Reman. They are looked upon by the Romulan people as an undesirable caste by the Romulan peoples. Their dense muscle structure makes them a formidable weapon in any war zone and they used as such by the Romulan Imperial Navy…"

"Canon-Fodder!" Reed sighed as he examined the image closely.

"Exactly. From an autopsy report by the Vulcan Security Ministry… it shows that have telepathic abilities to what extent, we are unsure…"

"Why has Starfleet not been made aware of this?" Cortez said with a slight anger.

"There is more… the next image… will tell you everything and reason why this is highly classified. Meet the Romulan Commander of that ship…"

As the next image appeared on the screen before them, gasps echoed around the room at the familiar face displayed before them as all eyes slowly fell upon the Vulcan Commander as she looked away from the screen, unsure of what to do next.

"Are you serious?" Reed said with the deepest of shock.

"Yes! Now do you understand why this information can not leave this room? If this information was to surface, it would destroy everything that we have all worked for… Archer included! Malcolm, I know that we have some… problems in the past and you don't trust me as much as I hoped you would, but this… is a dangerous situation. If this information was to surface anywhere, the Coalition would collapse and suspicion turn on the Vulcan people"

"How the hell did this happen?" Called out a Marine as he looked at T'Lana. "Parallel evolution?"

"No… many years ago, during the time of Surak, many left Vulcan and wandered the stars. They eventually found a home on what we now call Romulus and created an empire…" Franks said as he stepped at his wife's side. "Even on Vulcan, this information is highly restricted… do you now understand?"

"Yes!" Reed said slowly. "All this time… how long have you known Franks? What else do you know?"

"A year… Several months ago, I was surgically altered to appear Romulan for the purposes of espionage on their homeworld. We've set in motion a chain of events that has led us to this day, even now… one of my most trusted allies is on that planet, working from within"

"You have people _ON ROMULUS_?" Cortez yelled.

"Yes… her name is Ta'Lar, once we have captured the Romulan ship… I intend to retrieve her from that world and take her home. Taylor… is I call her, needs our help… if her cover is blown, they'll kill her and I will not allow that to happen"

"I… I'm in" T'Lana said slowly

"Count me in sir!" Nodded Reed.

"Sure, why not!" Cortez nodded.

"Anyone else?"

"We're all in Captain Franks" Nodded a male Marine.

"Alright… let's do this. I just hope that Archer can deliver on his side and get he hell out of there without being captured" Franks laughed.

"He will sir, I'm sure of it"

"I know that Reed… on thing. No Uniforms, Civilian clothing only. If we are captured or killed, I want nothing leading us back too Starfleet"

"Sir! One thing" Reed said quickly. "How in the name of hell do you expect to get into Romulan space with this ship without being seen?"

"That Romulan cruiser we found, her Cloak was operational and installed on Excalibur, we'll use it to slip in under their RADAR before we make our run"

"And you're telling us this now?" A Marine yelled with anger.

"Need to know Private… it will take us fifteen minutes at high warp too reach the system, I suggest you be ready!"

Nodding slightly, the team left the room as Franks looked back up at the screen while his wife stepped at his side as the doors slid closed she took a deep breath before she spoke with a half whisper.

"Do you really have to go Billy?"

"I do. This is my mission plan Lana, I can't leave those kids under Reed's charge. I've been planning this mission since I stepped foot on Vulcan, everything that I have done… has been building to this one moment. I can not back out now!" He said firmly as he looked up at the screen before him.

"Why you? Why not someone else, I don't want to loose you if…"

"I'll be fine Lana… but I have to finish this, once and for all. Do you remember when we first met?" He said as he turned and faced her.

"I remember the young cadet, too afraid to even speak with me for fear of tripping over his tongue" She said with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, I've changed since then… Together we have built something that is greater then anything any diplomat could have. I need you to be okay with this T'Lana… in the past year, I have done things no one ever should. If you knew the truth about who I have become… you may walk away" He said with regret.

"I would never do that, you know…"

"T'Lana, I am personally responsible for the deaths of thousands. I knew about the invasion attempt of Andoria four weeks before it happened, I could have warned them, I could have warned Starfleet and Andoria, but then the Romulans would know that we broke their codes. So, I let it happen… and then, I-I sent my closest friend, my own partner to Romulus on spy mission even though I knew that she was not ready… if she is discovered or killed…"

"What?" She said with disbelief. "Why would you… do you… love her?"

"She is… special to me T'Lana, but I don't love her in that way. I-I-I Don't have time to tell you everything… I promise, once this is over… I will explain everything too you. But, the crimes that I am guilty of, may change your mind about me. I have done things that I am not proud of… I am no longer the man that you know or maybe even love, I hate what I have become T'Lana… you are my only salvation _IF_ you will still want me after everything that I have done"

"Can it really be that bad?" She said with tears rolling down her face.

"T'Lana, I have killed people. I have a stain of green blood on my hands that I can never remove…" Slowly, he stepped closer to her as he whispered in a vain attempt at hiding what he said next. "… I-I-I found a family on Romulus…"

"No! please… don't say it" She wept as she stepped backwards.

"I have too. I erased the last remnants of your Romulan DNA and destroyed the family records. Thirty-four men, women and, and children dead, because of me"

"_WHAT?_" She wept uncontrollably.

"You don't understand, I was… under orders from the Vulcan High Council itself. I had no choice… there is not a night that passes by that I do not see those faces in my sleep, hear their cries…"

"_GET OFF MY SHIP!_" She yelled.

"T'Lana…"

"Just… Go!" She growled.

"I can't, not yet. I know that you must hate me now, but we have a job to do T'Lana and everything, everyone is counting on what we do next" He said as a tear rolled down his face.

"Then… I will help you with your damned assignment and once this is over, so are _WE!_. I can't even look at you anymore…"

"I-I-I'm sorry… I did what I had to do" Franks said, almost begging her for forgiveness.


	6. Chapter 6

Part Three

Star Trek Excalibur

Chapter Six

_Romulan Star Empire_

_Planet: Romulus _

_Rateg City_

Comfortably sat at his large desk Senator D'Nari DaVaro leaned backwards in his chair whilst his young attaché, Sub-Lieutenant D'Ral Sahen continued with her work as she sat facing him while they both listened to the battle for the Starfleet ship as it happened. His pride in his son was clearly evident as he listened with interest as his son called out his orders.

'_Attack Wings three and four, concentrate all firepower on the Enterprise's aft quarter, wings one and two, start your run. Chorea, continue with your assault…'_

'_Yes, Commander!' Called out the commanding officer of the second Romulan vessel._

'_Transporter Room, dispatch our assault teams to the Achilles, I want that vessel intact'_

'_Commander! The Enterprise is attempting to lock Torpedoes onto the Achilles… the Warbird Dedrex is moving into position, her shields are at full power…' A female voice called out. 'Enterprise is firing… The Dedrex has taken heavy damage and requesting permission to withdraw'_

'_Negative… have the Praetor Pontilus move into to assist… Transporter room, report?' Called out the Commander._

'_Teams one and two have boarded the Earth Vessel, her crew is dead… they have accessed the engine room… she is fully operational Commander, they are bringing her main systems on-line, teams three and four are ready to transport onto the bridge'_

'_Transport now. Get me the Achilles leader' _

'_Yes Commander… channel is open' Another male voice cried out._

'_Centurion Bactra… report?'_

"_Commander, the weapons systems are fully operational, we should have warp drive in ten minutes. Impulse is available… I have accessed helm controls from Engineering, we are joining the battle sir'_

'_Negative Centurion, All ships… withdraw from the battle zone. All attack wings, continue with your assault on the Enterprise, Dedrex… continue with support fire and cover our withdrawal' The Commander yelled._

'_Commander… the Enterprise is withdrawing… orders?' A second female voice called out._

'_Let her go for now, we have our prize… all ships, set course for Romulus, best possible speed…'_

Closing the channel with pride in his son, DaVaro smiled widely as he leaned backwards in his chair as the Su-Lieutenant nodded whilst she spoke with a soft tone in her voice.

"Congratulations Senator… you have done it sir"

"Yes… now we can begin with my plans" He said darkly.

"Plans sir?"

"I will use the Achilles to lure the Praetor himself away from his personal guard. Once I have him… my people will move on the Senate itself and I will install myself as Praetor after which, I will then install myself is Royal Emperor of the Empire itself with you at my side"

"I have never been the Consort of an Emperor before…" She smiled darkly.

"Take pride in what we have accomplished here today D'Ral…"

"I will… more then you know" She smiled.

With the plan in full operation, the Columbia and Endeavour Battle Groups screamed out of a small nebula towards the Ragesh System at maximum warp, the fleet of forty plus vessels instantly dropped out of warp and targeted every Romulan starship, escort vessel, fighter and weapons platform around the vital planet known as Ragesh Three before transporting troops onto the planet below and catching the Romulan forces off-guard with a devastating attack which overpowered the scattered forces before they could dispatch a distress signal. On the bridge of her starship Captain Erika Hernandez laughed to herself with pride as she gave the order to inform the Excalibur of the situation.

With the message received on the bridge of her ship, Commander T'Lana kept her emotions in check as she seemed to have resorted back to a stoic Vulcan attitude as she conducted herself in a manner that made her long suffering crew unnerved by her instant change.

"Commander Cortez, activate the Cloaking system… Lieutenant Pavlova, set course and engage at maximum warp. Mister Franks, I believe that you have somewhere else to be?"

"Yes Captain…" He said with a deep sigh. "T'Lana…"

"Dismissed Mister Franks" She said without looking in his direction.

"Cloaking system is online Commander… we have a 50% power drain, weapons and shields are off-line" Cortez said with shock at the display before him.

"Engine Room, reroute Emergency power into the Cloaking system, I want this… over as soon as possible. Commander Cortez, once the cloaking system is off-line, estimate time it will take to raise the shields and activate all weapons?"

"The power drain is extensive, estimate forty-five seconds Commander. However, I may be able to polarize the hull armour for the duration?" He said with a questioning look at Franks.

"Make it so Mister Cortez. And I will thank you to keep your opinions to yourself as to the questions you are about to ask"

"Yes Ma'am…" he said with a deep shock in his voice.

"Mister Franks, are you still on my bridge? If that _MAN _is on _MY_ bridge in ten seconds time, have him escorted off my bridge and too the transporter bay" T'Lana said harshly.

"I'm sorry! What more do you want?" Franks cried out as he walked towards the Turbolift.

"Commander, we are at Warp 6.2... The power drain caused by the cloak is preventing us from achieving maximum warp at this time" Pavlova said with a deep question in her eyes.

"Pavlova, take the Conn… Cortez, come with me please" T'Lana said as she stood from her chair.

After leaving the bridge with anger in himself, Franks walked towards the transporter bay as the Enterprise MACO team stood by the console wearing all black clothing and carrying the weapons Franks had previously trained with. A small Bullpup designed weapon similar in design to an ancient earth weapon known as a FN-Herstal F2000 Rifle, 27 inches long with the main section of the weapon behind the trigger leaving a smaller profile. Malcolm Reed instantly noticed the design of the weapon from the first time he saw it and requested that he keep the weapon for his personal use onboard Enterprise when he returned, a request that was instantly rejected due to the fact that I had never been tested in actual combat situation. Capable of firing small darts of energy on a continuously modulating frequency, in theory it would make a more effective weapon then the standard MACO or Starfleet Phase Rifle currently used, supplemented with a side-arm of similar design, the style of both weapons had been ergonomically designed with a more comfortable hand grip and zero recoil or particle drift, making firing both weapons with each hand easier for anyone carrying the weapons.

"Last chance to back out people" Reed said quickly.

"No, it isn't…" Franks growled. "… You each have your assignments and must carried out too the letter. Anyone who wants to back out now… I don't care, you will carryout your orders or I will shoot you myself. Am I clear?"

"What?" Reed Grunted.

"Once we have that ship, we hightail it too Romulus, recover my operative and get the hell out before anyone knows what happens. Each of you have been trained for similar assignments in the past… and supplemented with Romulan self-defence tactics which I have attempted to teach you as I was taught on Vulcan. Remember your training and above all else… keep your god-damned mouth shut about what you see and hear on that Enemy ship… Mister Reed, if you have a problem with my orders… Right now, I don't give a crap. Get on that transporter platform and keep your damned opinions too yourself"

Sat in the Captain's private office, Cortez looked on with shock at what T'Lana had told him about her husband's activities as he stood almost frozen to the spot as she attempted and failed to keep her emotions in check as she collapsed onto a chair and wept like a terrified child.

"I-I-I don't believe it… why would he do something like that?"

"I don't, I don't know Andy. I knew there was something different about him from the start. I could never have imagined something like that. He's guilty of war-crimes… thirty civilians dead because of me, because of what I am!" She wept.

"Because of you? What the hell are you talking about, T'Lana… no more bullshit now tell me the truth?" He said as he knelt before her.

"Because of grandfather… many years ago, he came to Vulcan on a mission of espionage. He fell in love with a Vulcan woman and had a child, my mother… he never returned home…" She said with tears rolling down her face.

"Home? T'Lana, was he… are you…" He said with deep shock

"I am… one quarter… Romulan"

Standing instantly, he looked around the room in deep shock and fear as he paced the room while his mind ran wild as anger began to build deep inside him. From the first moment he met her as a young and inexperienced Lieutenant, it was plainly evident that she was nothing like any Vulcan he had known as she allowed her emotions to rule her, even her long blonde hair made her stand out in a crowd and sometimes appear as a human when it was not tied back to reveal her obvious Vulcan ears. As he attempted to calm himself, he spun around quickly as she remained sat on the same chair trying to calm herself.

"I don't… I don't know what to say. Why did you not tell me this sooner? I mean… how long have you known?" He said with shock.

"Since I was a child, I told Billy a few years ago… Andy, you can not tell anyone about this" She said as she stood quickly.

"Why is it never easy with you T'Lana? I count you as one of my closest friends… more then a friend, you're like a sister to me and now you tell me that you are part… Romulan? Who else knows about this?"

"Not many, an Admiral at Starfleet, some… within the High Council back home. They… blackmailed William into working with them… they turned him, they turned my husband into a monster a murderer. I don't know what to do anymore…" She said as she uncontrollably wept once more.

"Do you still love him? T'Lana… do you love him?" He said as he walked towards her.

"Yes… but I, I can't get past what he has done… what do I do Andy? tell me what I should do, please?"

"Go to him, talk with him… don't let him go on that mission thinking that you…"

"I-I'm afraid of him… what else has he done Andy?" She said as she shook with fear.

"I don't know… but that man… My friend! Needs you T'Lana as you need him"

"All Decks, Red Alert!" Pavlova's voice called out. "We have entered the Ni'ala System, dropping to full Impulse for Ni'ala Three"

"Oh-My-God!" T'Lana cried out. "It's too late!"

Cleaning her eyes of her tears, she straightened her back as she looked at her first officer in shock before she broke into a full sprint towards the bridge with Cortez at her side. Stopping instantly before the command chair, the helm officer turned with a slight smile of pride on her face as she spoke.

"Commander, I managed to squeeze a little more out of the engines. I got us to warp 6.8... There it is… top left. The away team has materialised safely on the enemy ship"

"No!" T'Lana cried out in fear. "Andy… please tell me…"

"It's too late T'Lana… he's radio silent" Cortez said as he ran towards his console.

"Commander, receiving a message from Columbia, the system is now under Coalition control… all enemy forces have been eliminated" Called out Joseph Wildman from the Science Station.

"Be careful Billy…" T'Lana whispered too herself. "Maintain… Umm…"

"Maintain radio silence Mister Wildman, Natacia, move us into position above the dry dock. I am manually targeting the weapons array. Transfer circuits are on-line and ready… once I deactivate the cloak, we will be targeted… hold onto something. All hands… brace for multiple weapons impacts" Cortez said quickly.

"Sir, We're in position…" Pavlova cried out.

"Wait for the signal Lieutenant T'Lana said as a single tear rolled down her face.

After materialising in an empty corridor onboard the Romulan ship, the team instantly spilt into two small groups as directed by the mission commander while Franks instantly separated himself from the team. His demeanour had changed, he seemed to be much darker almost as if the spark that Reed once saw in his eyes had burnt out only to be replaced with a deep darkness almost instantly as if he was trapped in a dark void with no end in sight. He remembered the stories that Commander Tucker would tell back on his ship, stories about how the young man had a zest for life as if each moment would be his last, the jokes and pranks he had pulled on him when Tucker was temporally assigned to the Excalibur over a year ago, whatever this man had seen or done in the past year, the man who stood once before him, Reed could not recognise as the man he once knew. It appeared as if he been through hell and back many times, like a soldier on the front lines of some distant and horrific war, he was now dead inside and that is what he now radiated from him and with the current assignment it was a dangerous prospect.

"Wait, where the hell is… where is Franks?" Whispered out a MACO.

"He was right here, damn it!" Reed said with anger. "We must continue… Beta, take Environmental Engineering Alpha, with me… No doubt Mister Franks has something else in mind… move!"

Moving quickly through the ship, Malcolm Reed and the young female MACO they avoided the Romulan Patrols and maintenance crews as they silently moved through the ship itself with an uncomfortable feeling about the mission itself, not the fact of the unusual and hideous appearance of the Reman species, but the unnerving similarities between the Romulans and their closest allies, the Vulcans. Their assignment was simple, take control of the main engineering section while the beta team assault environmental engineering and release an anaesthetic gas which would incapacitate the Romulan and Reman crew and slave labour. Although it had to be timed perfectly as not to arouse suspicion of them being onboard, the disappearance of William Franks onboard the enemy vessel had been a cause for concern for Lieutenant Reed, especially in his current state of mind which seemed to indicate that he was slowly becoming unstable. Nevertheless, deep inside enemy space, being onboard and enemy vessel and surrounded by one of Humanity's most deadliest enemies, they did not have the time to stop and think about what was now happening with the fifth member of their team as they stepped inside of a wall panel which led them directly into the upper level of engineering while they waited for the correct time to strike.

"One minute" Reed whispered. "Are you ready?"

"Yes sir!" She whispered. "Where the hell is Franks?"

"I have no idea Corporal, I intend to have words with him when we get back to Excalibur…"


	7. Chapter 7

Part Three

Star Trek Excalibur

Chapter Seven

_Planet Vulcan:_

_Several Months Earlier…_

After returning from the Capital Planet within the Romulan Empire William Franks had changed, he seemed to be much darker and filled with an ever present darkness deep inside his soul for reasons that the Vulcans around him could not understand and the Officers of the Andorian Imperial Guard refused to ask. During his short time working alongside the V'Shar and other Coalition units he had taken on many of the assignments that the others would refuse and so he became the darkness from within the V'Shar to the point of feared by some who worked alongside of him. Nevertheless, he could only open up to one person on the entire planet who knew of his position and growing darkness his only good friend within the beyond classified unit Ta'Lar; the young and inexperienced Vulcan woman whom had been assigned to his side during his training and the one person he requested to work with, much to the dissatisfaction of her own father, the new acting Director Sovol.

Before he left on his secretive assignment, something happened that no one could have imagined, he received a private and seemingly long communication from the Leader of the Vulcan High Council, T'Pau after which his entire demeanour had changed to one of the purest of darkness possible within a human as during a training session, he almost killed an Andorian Officer and placed two more in the medical wards before he had to be stunned and sedated. After the young Vulcan woman he often called Taylor performed a 'Mind-Meld' with him, the over-powering emotions twisting away at the human made her almost terrified of the man even more at what he had been ordered to do by the Vulcan High Council itself.

Originally, his assignment was purely espionage and to set the groundwork for an invasion plan the Coalition Special Forces had been working on for months beginning with a fake Earth Starship and resulting in the capture of a Romulan starship along with the retaking of a long since lost world yet now, his assignment had turned darker with an assassination and murder of an entire family for the safety of his own family on Vulcan and Earth. Before he left for Vulcan, Taylor had approaching the human and begged him not to go ahead with the assignment for his own safety as she knew that deep down inside him was still the man she had come to respect during their time together, it was only when he turned too look at her that she saw the true extent of his own personal hell since it almost appeared as if his eyes themselves had turned a deep black and the spark in his eyes lost even through the surgery he had had performed to make him appear as if he was Romulan, his voice was dark and gravely twisted into something hideous as he spoke. '_We all have our own personal hell Ta'Lar… You do not wish to see into mine again. I know that you melded with my mind… and I know that it has changed you also. Be safe my friend… if I do not return, find my wife and explain everything to her_ _and_ _tell her Good-Bye!_'.

Upon his return to Vulcan he to be even more seemed dead inside if that was even possible as wherever he went, a large dark cloud followed him like the spectre of death itself, even a large scar ran down the left side of his face and down his neck and arm from what had appeared to be a large fire. Returning to surgery once more, his alien features where removed along with the large scar from his face and neck however, he refused to have the scar on his arm removed as it served as a reminder of what he had done along with the many more scars he had kept on his body he claimed that each of them told a story of his own past that he could no longer avoid.

Returning for a debriefing with Acting Director Sovol, he stood motionless before the large desk as he gave his final report the outcome of the assignment including the High Council ordered execution of Romulan citizens. In recent weeks, it had become clear to Sovol that his daughter had been altered by the unsanctioned Mind-Meld with Franks, but to what end no-one knew until she slowly from the seat at his side and stepped between them. Unable to control her anger, she reached back and threw a punch at Franks as he remained motionless while her fist slammed into his jaw hard sending him crashing towards the ground hard before he stood and took the same stance once again, completely ignoring what had just happened to him moments ago even the pain now ringing through his jaw and the blood pouring from his mouth. Completing his report, he walked towards the door without being dismissed before he turned and looked directly at his former assistant with a dark and twisted look in his eyes as she shivered slightly while he spoke.

"I told you once before Ta'Lar… stay out of my head. And if you hit me again, I'll kill you. Do not try to find me, I will be gone for the next few days, when I return… we shall discuss what just happened between us and what is happening with you"

After leaving the large building, Franks had disappeared for four days without word of his location, although fear of the man still echoed within her, she was ordered by her superiors to track him down by any means necessary as finally she discovered his location deep inside an inhospitable area of Vulcan, known only as 'The Forge'. a dangerous and inhospitable canyon deep inside the seemingly endless Vulcan desert.

Inside a cave hidden off the beaten path, a single fire burned for light and warmth against the chilling Vulcan night. Stepping into the cave, Ta'Lar looked around seemingly on edge as a sound echoed through the cave network, a chilling sound that seemed to freeze her green blood as a large animal walked towards her slowly, crouched ready for the attack as it's large eight inch fangs drilled with saliva as it screamed at her, ready for the hunt. Panic gripped her as the Sehlat walked towards her slowly while she reached for a metallic weapon on her back before a hand grabbed her and spun her around as the creature walked towards her.

"I told you, not to come looking for me Little-One…"

"Franks, we have to go… NOW" She cried out.

"Why? Ohh, yes… my little friend!" He smiled darkly.

Releasing her hand, he spoke in what seemed to be an ancient Vulcan language as the creature walked towards her and stopped before them as Franks threw the remains of an animal towards the creature before he stepped at it's side and petted it's head gently as the creature seemed to purr slightly.

"What, what the…" She said with shock.

"I see that… explanations are in order. Take a seat, Ohh don't worry about my friend here… Spot is very protective and she hasn't eaten today"

"You tamed and named it?"

Walking to the side of the fire, he extended his arm and nodded as Ta'Lar slowly walked towards the fire and sat down cautiously as he spoke.

"Three days after I returned to the V'Shar… I was plagued by your father who found me unworthy of joining his little group. He taunted me saying that Humans where fragile and could not survive in the harsh Vulcan atmosphere, so I took his challenge. With the sandals on my feet, the shorts I was wearing and blade for protection, I walked into the desert… I quickly found this place. You see, an electrical-sand storm forced me into a large cave network, the storm lasted for three days. I quickly found out that I was not the only one who found this place to hide from the storms… I can face-to-face with my little friend here. I had never seen a Sehlat before and quiet possibly it never a human, she had no idea what to do with a human…"

"Perhaps your odour caught her off-guard?" Ta'Lar said quickly.

"Was that a joke? But you're right… she came straight at me, her power was amazing… we both barely survived the encounter as we both sliced each other up pretty badly. She was dying, I found a water supply in an adjacent cave and foraged for food and we both nursed each other back too health… have you heard the ancient earth fable of '_Androcles and the Lion'_?"

"No" She said quickly as she warmed her hands against the fire.

"The true meaning of the fable has passed into the sands of time, but basically Androcles was a Roman slave who escaped his master and fled into the neighbouring forest, after falling asleep he heard a vicious roaring sound and he awoke to find a large lion stood before him, snarling and drooling like my friend had done moments ago. Some say that they fought, others that the creature stood before him. either way, he saw a large thorn slicing the lion's paw. Plucking up the courage, he pulled out the thorn and the lion was eternally crateful after Androcles nursed the lion back to health. They stayed together for awhile protecting each other until the slave was found by soldiers sent by his former master and they where both killed…"

"So what you are saying, that you are running away from your former master… and that I have been sent to kill you both?" Ta'Lar laughed.

"No, you could no more kill me that I could disconnect my arm and reattach it. That mind-meld you performed on me awhile back has changed the both of us and I believe that is how you where able to find me… night is coming Taylor and it gets very cold around here at night. You should stay by the fire…" He said calmly.

"I know… but why come back here? To this place I mean"

"Legend has it that Surak himself once walked this path, perhaps even slept this cave itself. The things that I have seen and done recently brought me back here… I spent two weeks here and I return when ever I can, this place cleanses the soul… the natural spring water in the other cave is warm and refreshing. It is my own private sanctuary away from the war… and now it is yours. In two hours, it will become cold in here, I suggest that you take full advantage of this time and refresh yourself"

"What of… the Lion?" She mocked.

"Spot is… protective, but she knows who I trust like you know…"

"I know you can count on one hand those you trust" She once again mocked.

"And I'm not afraid to cut off a few fingers. Show her respect and she will respond faithfully if not, well it could be lunch time and I would prefer not to kill her"

For a brief moment at the back of his eyes, it appeared as if a light had switched on and the man she once knew had returned before it disappeared once again and replaced by a darkness in his eyes that was only betrayed by the gentle smile on his face only illuminated by the fire itself.

"We head back into the city at first light… after which, I think have a job for you Taylor"

Present Day…

A perfectly timed Coalition attack was now only moments away as the powerful Excalibur hung above the Romulan ship they where sent to capture, their weapons array was manually locked on the docking clamps holding the enemy ship in place and set for a thin beam set at maximum which would slice through the clamps themselves casting the enemy ship adrift, if all went according to the dangerous plan, the away team would them strike with a sedative gas, knocking out the Romulan crew and allowing them to take over the vessel with ease from the main engineering section before claiming the bridge of the vessel. However, as she sat in the Captain's chair on her bridge, a cold and dark feeling echoed over the Commanding Officer as she looked at the large and ominous vessel before her ship, with the ship's sensor array operating at less then 15% due to the power drain from the cloaking system it had begum increasingly difficult to determine who was human and who was Romulan on the ship as the cloak was not designed for the Starfleet ship but an enemy vessel and interfered with key systems on the ship itself.

"Thirty Seconds…" Cortez called out as he looked at his screens before him. "… Standing by on hull-plating systems, shield and weapons will activate automatically Ma'am"

"Now we'll see how much of a pounding this ship can take… everyone, take your marks… Cortez, NOW!"

Alarm systems sounded throughout the ship as the power level instantly dropped while the cloak deactivated and the vessel materialised before the Romulan Drydock facility. Caught by surprise, the Romulan Drydock instantly locked its limited weapons on the Starfleet vessel before they bounced harmlessly off of the hull until enough power was built up and shields activated while the weapons came on-line and fired directly at the two large clamps holding the ship in place, slicing through the clamps that held the ship in place.

Onboard the ship itself, the vessel rocked hard in all directions as Reed and the marine at his side kicked open the panel before them, picking each of their target they fired both of their weapons at their carefully selected targets with ease from their high position whilst the second team broke into the environmental engineering section with a similar tactic s finally the gas was dispensed through the air vents into all sections of the ship allowing the humans to walk freely around. Standing besides the large vertical warp core, Lieutenant Reed seemed to show a slight surprise in what Starfleet had believed to be a more advanced technology, yet it seemed to be a few decades behind Starfleet with warp propulsion. It wasn't until his companion spoke that his mind truly rushed back towards the present assignment itself.

"Reed, we have a major problem, the bridge appears to operate on a different system. From what I can tell of this sensor readout… we still have five life signs on the bridge. And they're attempting to reroute all command functions to the bridge. I can't do anything sir…"

"Attention humans. My name is Valdan, commander of this ship, your attempt to board and capture this vessel is unwise. Your vessel is now under our control, surrender or I will vent that section into space. You have one minute!" Called out a powerful male voice over the speakers.

"He's bluffing, trying to buy time… but for what?" Reed said slowly.

"When will you Humans learn that the Romulan Star Empire owns this galaxy?" He called out with a laughter in his voice.

Stood outside the bridge, William Franks took a deep breath as he powered up his weapons and activated the door controls before he threw a small stun grenade through the opening doors. With a brilliant white flash and a disorientating scream which echoed over the ship's intercom Franks leapt onto the bridge and fired both of his weapons as he rolled and quickly picked his targets, the unsuspecting Romulan officers as they covered their eyes and ears. As he stood, he looked around the unusual design of the bridge with a smile as he spoke into the open intercom.

"Reed, the bridge is secured. I took a chance that it operated on a separate system. I'm releasing the computer now…"

"Franks? What the hell was that?" Reed complained over the bridge speakers.

"They used to call it '_A Flash-Bang!_' Sorry about that, how are you ears?"

"Still ringing. How about an advanced warning next time? Wait forget it… in case we where captured, I got it"

"Very good, you're learning. Get up here everyone, we've got a lot of work to do"

Once the team was on the bridge, they joined the Excalibur in the attack on the Drydock facility as the web-like structure collapsed under the combined weapons fire of both ships. Although the Romulan crew was still unconscious at the time, they found a small pocket of breathable air on the wreckage of the large facility before they used the Romulan transporter to beam the entire enemy crew over to the wreckage as they moved in formation with the Excalibur herself away from the combat zone.

Sat comfortably in the commander's chair of the Romulan ship and with Reed familiarising himself with the tactical displays, he opened a channel to his old ship as he smiled while his wife's face appeared on the screen before him with tears in her eyes.

"Excalibur this is… we'll call her Lazarus. I trust that everyone is alive over there?"

"We're fine Billy and I'm sorry about everything" T'Lana said quickly. "I just…"

"No, no need to apologise. Remember what I said earlier? This is my last run, How is the old ship?"

"We took some damage to the port nacelle, Chief Tarkin says that we are grounded to slightly above Warp Five, the cloak is… not good, but we can still use it to get into friendlier space"

"Then go! The Enterprise B.G should be waiting for you… get outta here, best speeds, we have work to do…" Franks said firmly.

"We can help…" Cortez replied quickly.

"Andy… get the hell out, that's an order from an active Starfleet Captain, Commander… Excalibur will very soon be a much larger target, go… we'll catch up"

"No!" T'Lana said firmly.

"Get the hell out Commander! That is an order, Archer and his battle group will be waiting for you. You're job is over. The longer I spend talking to you, places my operative in even more danger… go!" He cried out.

"Alright… but once this is over, we're going to have that talk Billy"

"I promise. I'll see you soon, Lazarus out"

With the communications channel closed and with the coordinates input from the databanks, the Captured Romulan vessel cloaked as it turned and entered high warp for a location deeper inside enemy territory, the homeworld of the Romulan Empire itself, Romulus.


	8. Chapter 8

Part Three

Star Trek Excalibur

Chapter Eight

_Romulan Star Empire_

_Planet: Romulus _

_Rateg City_

Still revelling in the capture of the Starfleet vessel named Achilles, Senator D'Nari DaVaro entered his office with a large smile upon his face as he was followed by his attaché the Romulan Sub-Lieutenant, D'Ral Sahen. After visiting the vessel for himself, he saw the advancements that Starfleet had made which could be adapted to their own technologies, however his own thirst for power had to be satisfied along with his vision of uniting the Romulan and Reman species to create a powerful Empire which could destroy the every growing Coalition forces all with himself in command.

As she entered the room, the large doors where locked while she checked the office itself for any form of listening devices as she did each day. Nodding carefully to indicate that the room was clear, he walked behind his large desk and stood before the window as he spoke.

"I grew tired of this view many years ago D'Ral, very soon… it will be replaced by the imperial gardens themselves and this office will be the private chambers of the Emperor, with you at my side. Together, we will crush the Humans and their… _Coalition of Planets_ before we reclaim our ancestral home… Vulcan" He bragged.

"As you wish Senator DaVaro" She said slowly.

"From this point onwards, you may call me D'Nari. You are most fortunate my young friend as together, we shall usher in a new era for our people. I have been assured by the bulk of our forces that they have my backing, once I promised our Reman slaves their freedom… they pledged their allegiance, all of them… and it is all thanks to you and your… timely arrival"

"Thank you D'Nari… I took the liberty of informing the Praetor and Emperor themselves of you… prize, they are eager to see their new… weapon" D'Ral said with a dark smile.

"When will they arrive?"

"Very soon…" For a brief moment, her voice trailed off before she cleared her throat and continued. "I have also informed the Tal'Shiar of you intentions"

"_WHAT?_" He said as he spun around to face her. "D'Ral, why would you do that?"

"Simple… I was under orders to do so…" She smiled darkly.

"You are… Tal'Shiar?" He growled.

"No sir. I have just received word that the Colony on Ragesh Three has been captured, the Ship yards in the Ni'ala system, destroyed by Starfleet…"

"What? When did you receive this information?" He yelled.

"Moments ago…" She said as she tapped her ear. "… Perhaps a little truth for a change? My name is not Sub-Lieutenant D'Ral Sahen, I am Ta'Lar of the Vulcan V'Shar. I was sent here not so long ago by my superiors for this assignment…"

His face turned into stone with betrayal as he looked at the large and darkened smile upon her face as she stood before him as she quickly drew her side-arm and aimed it directly between his eyes as she seemed to squeeze her collar and spoke with the dark smile echoing over her face.

"Ready for transport on my mark. Ohh D'Ral, it's been fun… it really has, but now I have to leave. I wouldn't bother going for that weapon under your desk, it only has one shot and it's set for light stun. Don't worry, I've informed the Tal' Shiar of your intentions towards the Praetor and Emperor… we've been playing you since the start and don't bother telling them who I really am, the evidence of your… duplicity will speak for itself. Ohh, one more thing… William Franks sends his regards. Energise!"

In an instant a green energy enveloped her as the office of the Senator changed into that of the bridge of the captured Romulan vessel as she saw Franks walking towards her with a smile on his face as he spoke.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine sir, it looks like you've done well for yourself" She said quickly.

"Yeah, a little rough though. You can lower the weapon though… Ohh, you might want to hear this, we're still connected to the office"

Smiling widely with pride, he accessed the communications channel from the helm as the speakers filled with the sound of something banging hard along with yelling, a sound she instantly recognised as something heavy banging against the large wooden door of the Senator's office before something seemed to cut through the door itself followed by the sound of a single weapon discharging on stun as a body fell onto the ground.

"Next time you want someone to do your dirty work… look elsewhere" She said harshly.

"I'm sorry Taylor. I knew you could do it… "

"Sir, we have four ships closing on our position" Called out the Marine at the helm.

"Well, I think it time we left. They must've picked up the transport… set course for the Enterprise B.G. Maximum Warp…"

"Gladly… Captain" The female Marine said quickly.

"Now Taylor, put down that weapon and give me a hug!" He laughed.

_Captain's Log: Classified Entry…_

_Heavily damaged and operating on minimal power, the Excalibur made her rendezvous. We are holding position in the Ceti-Alpha system awaiting the arrival of the captured Romulan vessel under the command of the… eccentric Captain Franks and Lieutenant Reed. We have been holding position for seven hours as instructed, however… time is quickly running out. With damage to the Excalibur sickbay, Phlox has taken in several of their injured crew… how much longer can we hold position?_

_End Log Entry…_

Stepping back onto his bridge after recoding his log entry in private, Jonathon Archer made his way towards the centre seat as he looked around before his eyes stopped at the tactical station and the replacement officer for one of his closest friends, Lieutenant Reed.

"Hoshi, get me the Excalibur"

"Sir, Commander T'Lana is standing by" Replied the beautiful communications officer. "On screen sir"

"Commander, time is up! We must move, we've got reports of a Romulan fleet heading this way…" Archer called out.

"No, We should wait. He would want us to wait!" She cried out.

"Commander, this fleet has taken heavy damage in our last encounter, I can not risk the rest of the fleet for one man"

"_He's my HUSBAND!_" She yelled.

"I know that. What would he do?" Archer called out.

"He'd wait for you… He'd give you a chance to reach the rendezvous. I don't know what happened between the two of you in the past John, but he always spoke highly of you… give him more time. If not for Bill, then for Malcolm… he's your friend damn it!" She yelled.

"I'm sorry commander" He said slowly. "Hoshi, tell the fleet we're moving out. Set course for Vulcan, warp four"

"I wouldn't recommend that John. Cortez, Target the Enterprise starboard nacelle and arm all weapons" She said with a dark look in her eye.

"Commander, the logical solution is…"

"Ohh spare me the _Logical Bull-Shit T'Pol_, and you wander why I rejected the Vulcan way. We WAIT!" She growled.

"Commander, if you so much as lock a single weapon on this ship… You'll be considered a traitor… you won't survive this fleet's attack" Archer said quickly.

"… Then I'll take Enterprise to hell with me. John, give him more time"

"I'm sorry Commander… we leave now. You know, he said that you'd do this… Franks, he knew this is how you'd react. Cortez, by order of Starfleet Command, I am ordering you to relieve Commander T'Lana and assume Command of the Excalibur"

"Hey! Can anyone join this party, or is it invite only?" A voice cut in over the speakers on both ships.

"Billy?" T'Lana said quickly.

"Hone, I'm home! Listen folks… cut the bullshit! I'm about three minutes ahead of a Romulan Fleet… get your weapons online and ready, this is gonna be one hell of a shit-storm!"

"How many ships Franks?" Archer called out.

"Four, but they are heavily armed. Once they see the B.G, they'll turn and run. Open a door and crack a beer… We're coming home"

Turning instantly towards the Romulan ship as it decloaked before the fleet, it slipped into the centre of the Enterprise Battle Group as the ships moved around it while four Romulan vessels dropped out of warp before the Coalition Armada with the Excalibur almost side-by-side with the captured vessel, the Romulan ships seemed to stop before the Enterprise as if to judge their chances against such a large enemy fleet before they turned and warped away. Taking a deep breath of satisfaction, Archer looked around his bridge officers with content as the fleet leapt into warp for Vulcan and the much needed repairs to their ships systems.

_Four days later…_

_Planet Vulcan_

With his final report given to his superior, Director Sovol William James Franks was finally released from Starfleet Command with a medical discharge officially on his permanent file. Unofficially however, he remained an asset to Starfleet Intelligence as he planned to remain on Vulcan with his wife at his side. Due to her actions when ordered to leave the area by Captain Jonathon Archer, a superior officer and commander of the Enterprise Battle Group, Commander T'Lana had been placed under arrest for gross insubordination upon returning to Vulcan by Starfleet Security Officers. After spending several hours in a holding cell, she was eventually released by Admiral Hideo Chen since the mission itself was highly classified and with no charges placed upon her by Captain Archer, she was immediately given an honourable discharge from Starfleet Service and immediately hired by the V'Shar itself under the recommendation of Director Sovol, his daughter Ta'Lar and her husband against the objections of several Starfleet Command level officers. The captured Romulan vessel however, had disappeared from all records and all involved who saw the vessel itself where instantly sworn to secrecy by Starfleet Intelligence and the V'Shar under penalty of permanent imprisonment and they would simply disappear from all records with no explanation given.

During the capture of the Romulan vessel and the subsequent escape from Romulan space, the Excalibur had suffered heavy damage to her Warp systems as one of her warp engines had fused it's warp coils and the entire system had to be replaced, however, since the threat of a retaliatory strike by the Romulan Star Empire against Vulcan looming, the partially crippled Excalibur would remain in orbit of Vulcan along with several Coalition vessels as it was repaired before it would eventually join the fleet under it's new commanding officer, the newly promoted Captain Andrew Cortez and his new first officer, Lieutenant Command Natacia Pavlova.

For the first time since he signed his name on the recruitment file, Franks seemed to sleep for a full night as he awoke next to his wife as she lay on her side with a smile on her face as he spoke.

"How long… have you been like that?" He yawned.

"All night. Tell me about these scars?" She said with a large smile as her fingertips circled a large scar on his chest.

"Some other time. But for now, we have a big day ahead of us… we've planted the seeds of something amazing Lana, something that will last for centuries…"

"What?" She laughed.

"Trust me honey. First… a shower, then we have to get to the V'Shar HQ…"

"Why do we have to work today? Can't we just stay home… right here?"

"I wish I could, but the Enterprise B.G. should be ready to leave orbit this afternoon… I really need to have a word with Archer before he leaves" He said with another large yawn.

"What exactly are you working on Billy? You haven't been the same since you stepped onboard Excalibur"

"On the quiet? There is a rumour circulating around the water-cooler that somehow, Archer knows what is coming… some vast alliance of planets with Earth and the Coalition at the centre of it all, we've been working on this for months in secret. Don't ask me how he knows, I'm not entirely sure myself but I want to know what he knows Lana, aren't you curious?"

"A little" She smiled.

"Later on this evening, let's take that house not far from here… create our own future…" Franks said softly.

"Especially after what I heard last night, it seems that mother has a new friend, I would really not like too hear that again" T'Lana replied with a large frown.

"Ohh my god, I'm glad I didn't. I hope she didn't hurt Cortez!"

_Two Hours Later…_

Stepping into the office he had used since he was assigned to the Vulcan agency, Franks stepped to the window and looked out over the city as for the first time, T'Lana stepped into the office and looked around with a smile on her face as she could not imagine even the most relaxed Vulcan would allow him to work in such a chaotic manner. Two computers almost hung off the corner of his desk as it was covered with papers, Starfleet and Vulcan designed tablet designed computers and what appeared to be star charts and designs for an unusual upgrade for the NX-Class Starships which continued along the desk, cabinets at the side of the desk and along the walls in both directions.

"Doesn't anyone clean in here?" T'Lana laughed.

"Actually, this is clean. You should have seen it last when I can back from Romulus, Taylor had been using this office and she has undoubtedly picked up a few of my… bad habits"

"I bet. I've been meaning to ask you about her, what is it with her? She's almost like…"

"You T'Lana?" Franks laughed.

"Actually, I was going to say you"

"I'm a bad influence. A bad joke. A few months ago she melded with my mind when I was knocked unconscious, when her father found out, he wasn't too happy. It seems that she wasn't ready for the meld, I was in a very-very dark place back then. The full extent of emotions I was experiencing flooded her mind like a tidal wave, it overloaded her mind and had some lasting effects. Taylor was unconscious for twenty minutes and when she came too, her father told me she not only acted like me, but she had actually taken on my personality for four hours until it slowly subsided, something that she had never recovered from fully" He said slowly.

"Why did she meld with you, did she force herself upon you?" T'Lana said as her anger grew.

"I was unconscious at the time, but she thought she could help me. It wasn't until after I returned from Romulus that I understood why. For four days I secluded myself from the rest of the war to gather my thoughts, and she found me. You see T'Lana, she was in love with me in her own way and her meld allowed her to feel the full force of my love for you and she wanted to apologise for her actions…"

"Do you, I mean did you…" She said with sadness in her eyes.

"No. Taylor is an amazing young woman, anyone would be lucky to have her in their life. In many ways Lana, she reminds me of myself when we first met…"

"For a moment, I thought you going to say…"

"I would never… betray you. No diplomat, no-one can ever come close to the bridge of cultures that we have built…"

As if on cue, the door opened as the seasoned Starfleet Officer entered and looked around the room with a laughter in his voice as he spoke.

"Wow! And I thought my office was untidy"

"John! Good you're here, hello T'Pol" Franks said as he nodded to them both. "Take a seat, we have a lot to discuss"

Finding a place to sit in the office could not have been made and more difficult task as Archer's eyes scanned the room with a frown above them until he finally gave up and pushed aside a box of computer tablets from a large sofa and sat down as Franks pushed two chairs before the captain and his first officer.

"Well, it's been one hell of a ride hasn't it?"

"To say the least Mister Franks" Archer nodded. "Why are we here?"

"This morning, I received word from a… let's call it a listening post deep inside Romulan space, it picked up a large volume of ships being moved away from the Ragesh system, they are regrouping for a full strike in the Cheron System…"

"There is… nothing in that system Mister Franks. It is worthless as far as strategic value…"

"Not exactly, you see… the Romulans have discovered that the Coalition is building a Star-Base in that system and they are preparing a full scale strike with their entire armada"

"I haven't heard anything about a Starbase…" Archer said before he stopped and smiled. "… The Achilles database?"

"Impressive" T'Pol nodded.

"It should take them at least four maybe five weeks together their entire force for this assault…"

"And Starfleet will be waiting to greet them" Archer said with a wide smile.

"Along with a heavy Coalition presence. I have been told that Excalibur can not be repaired in that short time so she might not be joining you on this one, but… the V'Shar can gather at least eight ships of… advanced design for this one. We have to win this, it is an all or nothing hit. Once that is over, the others will finally have the push they need to sign the Coalition Charter… I'm sure that you know something about that Archer" Franks smiled as he leaned backwards and folded his arms.

"I have no idea what you mean sir"

"I… very much doubt that Archer, I've read your… _Classified_ file and it speaks of a _Federation_ of Planets…" Franks smiled.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Now, let us discuss this… Cheron assault?"

Several weeks later, the Earth Starship Enterprise under the Command of Captain Jonathon Archer screamed into the Cheron system with thirty Coalition Starships, upon entering the system, they found themselves out numbered slightly over two-too-one as the vast armada of eighty-plus enemy vessels appeared before them. Barely holding on in the face of such outstanding odds, the Coalition Forces led the Enterprise defeated the large Imperial fleet with the loss of hundreds of souls and seven Starships but not before forcing the enemy ships to surrender whilst most of the Romulan ships retreated back into Romulan space.

Sustaining heavy damage, the Enterprise and her fleet returned victorious to Earth after deploying thousands of orbital weapons platforms around the Cheron system. After returning as heroes and although fast approaching the end of her service life, the Enterprise underwent a vast refit before a tour of Coalition space and her final decommissioning ceremony on Earth after the death of the ships legendary Chief Engineer, Commander Charles Tucker III on one final mission. Finally, the Coalition was founded in 2160 and one year later it had grown as many other worlds had joined the young Earth centred Empire as it was reorganised into the _United Federation of Planets_ as prophesised in the Classified Log Entries of Jonathon Archer.

With the Federation now firmly in place and the Romulan war ended over a year ago and a boundary known as '_The Neutral Zone_' placed between the two empires, the Federation began to expand as it once again shifted back towards Scientific exploration once a new class of warp seven capable vessels had been launched under the flag of Starfleet itself. Seeing no further need for the intelligence agency known as V'Shar, it was instantly dissolved into Starfleet Security as William James Franks and his wife, T'Lana remained on Vulcan to design and build Shuttlecraft and small vessels for civilian use.

After the battle of Cheron, the Excalibur was ordered to return to Earth for final decommissioning however, during her journey home, the repairs conducted onboard the ship failed and the vessel began to accelerate out of control until the new Captain ordered all to abandon ship. As the ship continued to accelerate out of control, the crew left the vessel and several reports stated the saw the ship explode on their life pod sensors along with two officers who remained onboard, First Officer Natacia Pavlova and Captain Andrew Cortez.

However, the full story does not end yet…

Officially becoming a minor force in the private sector in designing small vessels, the true purpose of the company on Vulcan was the methodical dissection and analysis of the Romulan vessel for any advanced technology that could be reproduced into Starfleet ships under the flag of the secretive and privately owned security department known as '_The V'Shar_' operated in secret by a Vulcan and Human living on Vulcan.

After a year of trying for a child of their own, it seemed to be clear to William and T'Lana that they could not conceive a child on their own or with medical help as eventually, they adopted a female Vulcan young child who had lost her parents in the final days of the Romulan war. Named T'Leer, she was raised with the values and teachings of her Vulcan heritage. As if in answer to their prayers for a child and one year to the day of the signing of the Coalition charter, T'Lana gave birth to their first and only biological child, a daughter they named T'Cara in honour of William Franks' grandmother and like her adoptive sister, she was raised with the teachings of Surak.


	9. Chapter 9

Part Three

Star Trek Excalibur

Chapter Nine

_Captain's Log Stardate 5029.5_

_The Enterprise has been holding position in the Mutara sector, close to the Mutara Nebula as our orders have dictated and I am glad to report that the mission was a success after the capture of vital Romulan property. However, I feel that this has all been for nothing as we await our drop off point and contact with a vessel that has yet to arrive. In the mean time, our guest… the Romulan Commander has grown weary of the wait of her eventual fate…_

"Time?" Called out the Captain.

"Eight hours forty minutes Keptain!"

"Mister Chekov, in twenty minutes… if we hear nothing. Set course for the nearest Starbase at warp seven, our guest is starting to annoy me"

"Aye sir!" The Russian officer said with a smile.

"Captain, sensors are detecting something… unusual emerging from the nebula"

"What is it Spock?" Kirk said with a groan.

"Uncertain Captain. For a moment, I thought I saw a faint silhouette of a Starship exiting the nebula however, I am at a loss to explain…"

"Engineering to Bridge, what the hell is happening up there?" Cried out the Chief Engineer.

"What do you mean Scotty?"

"We are experiencing a power drain as if all systems are shutting down one at a time sir…"

As if on cue, the lighting on the bridge itself shut down as emergency backups instantly activated creating an ominous glow around the bridge as Kirk slowly stood from his chair and looked around the bridge. Seconds later, a figure of a young woman appeared before the viewscreen itself dressed in all black with blonde hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. Instantly Chekov and Sulu stood in shock as she raised her hands slowly as she spoke with a soft and soothing voice.

"Do not be alarmed Captain Kirk, my name is Cara…"

"What have you done to my ship?" Kirk called out.

"Please sir, forgive the way I have made contact. We had no way of knowing if our systems where compatible with yours"

"It is a hologram Captain, a very sophisticated one at that" Spock said as he held a Tricorder before him.

"Very good Mister Spock, it has been a long time… you have grown" She said with a smile as she appeared to walk through the helm station itself. "There is no cause for alarm Captain Kirk, it is I that you where sent to wait for"

"I do not believe that we have met Miss Cara" Spock said slowly.

"You where very young the last time we met Commander, barely able too walk" She said slowly.

"As I said, what have you done to my ship?" Kirk said quickly once more.

"Once this Hologram of myself has deactivated, power will return to your ship. The bridge is much larger then I imagined… and for some reason, much less advanced. I see now that Starfleet has ignored our suggested upgrades, none the matter though… you have a piece of equipment for us Captain?"

"The Romulan Cloak?" Kirk said quickly.

"Yes… and I believe from your communications with Starfleet, a Female Romulan Officer?"

"How do you know that?" Kirk said quickly.

"We routinely monitor all Starfleet Intelligence frequencies…"

"Who is We?" Kirk growled.

"We are… an asset to Starfleet Captain. I am sending coordinates for yourself and Mister Spock to beam over, you may also bring Doctor McCoy too verify my identity if you wish. I look forwards to meeting you in person Captain, shall we say, I twenty minutes?"

"Who are you?" Kirk said with a sigh.

"A remnant of a by-gone age Captain. An echo of greatness, the guardian of secrets that Starfleet does not wish to be known publicly and the first line of defence against the approaching conflicts. Twenty minutes Captain, we shall wait no longer…"

As suddenly as the hologram appeared, it disappeared as power instantly returned to the bridge and ship itself. Slowly turning to Spock, Kirk spoke as his friend raised and eyebrow as if by surprise at what had just happened before them all.

"Spock, who was that woman?"

"Uncertain Captain. However, she does appear to be familiar somehow…"

"Captain, the coordinates have been received" Called out the Communications officer.

"Spock, scan those coordinates for a Starship"

"On it captain"

Stepping towards his console, Spock peered into the scope as he scanned the area indicated as for a brief moment, the silhouette of a Starship appeared on his scope and quickly disappeared as he spoke.

"Fascinating…"

"Spock?"

"It appears to be an old Earth Starship sir… NX-Class cruiser, but I have never seen this configuration before. I am transferring the sensor playback onto the main screen"

As Spock stood, the sensor readings played back slowly as Sulu looked up at the main screen and spoke with awe in his voice.

"Captain that _IS_ an old NX Class… they where retired from service almost 80 years ago. However, this one appears to have been heavily upgraded with a secondary hull"

"Can you identify the ship Spock?" Kirk said slowly.

"Not at the moment Captain. They appear to be using some kind of Stealth technology that our sensors can not penetrate… all of the answers are on that ship"

"Alright, Uhura… have McCoy meet myself and Spock in Transporter Room One. It's time we found out exactly what is going on around here"

"Keptain, I request that you take a security team with you…" Chekov said quickly.

"Mister Chekov, any vessel that is capable of hiding itself from our sensors and create a hologram inside this bridge by using our own systems… could have easily destroyed us while our power was inactive" Spock said quickly.

"We'll be fine Chekov… keep a constant transporter lock on us at all times and while you're at it… try and find a way past that stealth technology of theirs"

"Aye Keptain!" Chekov said quickly.

"Mister Sulu, you have the Conn… Spock, follow me"

Twenty Minutes Later…

Materialising on the unfamiliar Starship, Kirk, Spock and Doctor McCoy where greeted at the transporter by a young Vulcan male who offered the traditional Vulcan salute which had been instantly returned by Spock.

"Captain Kirk, Commander Spock and Doctor McCoy. Please follow me gentlemen… you are expected" He said with a hint of a smile.

Following the Vulcan male through the ship, it appeared as if each person they passed seemed to stop and look at them in awe as they walked through the unfamiliar ship. Although most of the crew seemed Human or Vulcan, several of the crew where Andorian, Tellerite and some species they had never seen before.

"Jim, what the hell is going on here?" McCoy said quickly.

"I wish I knew Bones"

Finally entering what appeared to be the mess-hall of the ship, the young woman who had appeared on their bridge stood from a table as two others stood slowly. One a human male seemingly in his mid-fifties and the other was a blonde woman with Vulcan ears seemingly around the same age.

"Colonel Cara, Captain Kirk and Company as requested" Said the Vulcan Male.

"Thank you Stahl, I'll call you if you we need anything. Gentlemen, please take a seat… I believe that you wish to know why you are here?" Cara said slowly with a slight smile.

"To say the least" Kirk said as he sat facing the two others in the room.

"Allow me to introduce my parents, Bill and T'Lana"

"Fascinating" Spock said with a raised eyebrow. "You are William James Franks?"

"That's a name I haven't heard in a long time Mister Spock… and yes, I am"

"That is Impossible. William James Franks died fifty years ago on Vulcan" Spock said as he remained stood before a chair.

"Not really, it is a long story Mister Spock… Suffice it too say… I have a lot more time on my hands at the moment"

"That puts you over 100 Earth years old…" Bones said quickly. "But you don't look a day over fifty"

"Cloning?" Kirk said quickly.

"Nothing so… mundane Captain Kirk. I have followed your career with satisfaction sir. You remind me of another Captain I once knew… his name was Archer"

"Jonathon Archer?" Kirk replied.

"Yes sir, he was… a good friend and sometimes a bitter enemy" Franks said with fond memory.

"Why are we here… now?" McCoy said quickly.

"Okay… but first a drink?"

Slowly, he reached under the table and pulled out a large bottle of blue liquid that the Starfleet officers instantly recognised as McCoy and Kirk smiled while Spock spoke.

"Romulan Ale is illegal in the Federation"

"Lucky this is not a Federation Starship then. I was given this bottle and many more by Archer himself, 2145... A good year…" Slowly he poured out a glass for each of them as he spoke. "What do you know about the battle of Cheron mister Spock?"

"The decisive victory in the Earth-Romulan War… history records it was a Romulan Outpost and…"

"Right, but so far off" T'Lana said quickly. "… You see Mister Spock, Cheron was the final push for the Coalition forces against the Romulans…"

"With all due respect Mrs Franks…" Spock said quickly.

"Spock, calm down" Cara laughed. "Official records state it was a Romulan Staging Ground for a final strike against the Coalition… in fact, it was actually my parents who gave the final push. They planted information informing the Romulans that the Coalition was constructing a Starbase in that system… the Romulans took the bait and moved in with the majority of their forces…"

"And Starfleet under the command of Archer and Enterprise was waiting for them. It was a highly classified mission and shortly afterwards the records where altered, since the Romulan suffered a disastrous defeat, they yielded" T'Lana smiled.

"All very interesting, but why are we here?" Kirk said quickly as he took a sip of his drink and smiled with surprise.

"What wasn't in the records Kirk, shortly before that final push, I stole a Romulan cruiser from one of their Space docks. Once the war was over, it was moved to a secret location along with this ship…"

"I believe Mister Franks, that this ship was once named… Excalibur" Spock said quickly.

"All true, the ship had been permanently assigned to me by an old Admiral friend shortly after it was recorded as lost on route to Earth. We dismantled the Romulan ship and the Excalibur and over five years, rebuilt her… a secondary hull added, large warp core and so on"

"You have still not explained what this has to do with our last assignment" Kirk said quickly as he enjoyed his drink.

"For several months now, we have known that the Klingons have been supplying the Romulans with obsolete D-7 Class Battle Cruisers in exchange for their cloaking systems and we wanted to know how far they have taken the cloaking system. My lovely daughter T'Cara; gave the orders for your previous assignment which you fulfilled with extraordinary precision. You have our thanks Captain Kirk"

"And now if you please, the Cloak Captain?" T'Lana continued.

"It will be beamed over upon our safe return to the Enterprise" Spock said stoically.

"What about our… guest?" McCoy replied.

"Ahh yes… Mister Sulu, I know that you have been listening, please have the Commander beamed directly into this room…"

"What? Umm… of course, Captain?" Sulu said over Kirk's communicator.

"Do it Sulu!"

A moment later, the Romulan Commander materialised before the table as Franks stood slowly with a large smile on his face as she looked around in shock as she spoke.

"What am I doing here?… who are you people?"

"Hello old friend" Franks said with a soft voice.

"What? Kirk, who is this Human?" She yelled.

"This won't hurt you Commander… just try and relax" T'Cara said as he injected the Commander into her neck.

"Wait! What are you doing…?"

Instantly reacting with her system, the medication caused her to black out as Franks caught her gently and slowly lowered her into an empty chair carefully as if almost lovingly before he turned back to the Captain with a smile.

"I thank you Captain, for returning my friend"

"Your friend?" McCoy said quickly.

"It is a very-very long story Doctor McCoy" Franks said.

"To say the least!" T'Cara laughed.

"You see Captain, Three years after the Federation was established, my past came back to haunt me as my… war crimes where discovered by Starfleet Command…"

"_WAR CRIMES?_" Kirk Yelled.

"I was instantly arrested on Vulcan by Starfleet Security however, before I was taken back to Earth to stand trail, the charges where dropped by a very powerful Vulcan friend. I was ordered never too return to Earth or I would be arrested and charged, not only Earth, but any Starfleet property… very soon my family on Earth shut me down, I have not seen nor heard from them since…" Franks said with the deepest of regret.

"Hence the reason why you are here now. The instant his transporter signature is detected, Starfleet Command would be alerted" T'Cara said with sadness.

"I was pardoned on Vulcan, Andoria and the Tellerite Homeworlds but I can never step foot on any Starfleet property. Once my elder daughter became of age and she discovered what I had done in the past, she disowned me and her mother… my only contact with her is through T'Cara"

"What does that have to do with her?" Kirk said, pointing to the Romulan woman.

"After establishing my daughter as joint head of the agency we had created, which now owns this and other ships… we saw that an old enemy was rebuilding…"

"My father always keeps an eye on the Romulan and Klingon Empires Captain Kirk" T'Cara smiled with pride.

"Forty years ago, I dispatched one of my most… trusted companions into the Romulan Empire. She infiltrated the Romulan Command after being surgically altered to appear as one of their officers who was killed on a mission, her memories where also altered. You can not imagine my surprise when she turned up in your report Captain Kirk…"

Slowly stirring, the Romulan Commander opened her eyes slowly as she looked around in shock at her surroundings as Franks stood with a large smile on his face as she almost leapt to her feet and wrapped her arms around him as she wept.

"Billy? Ohh my god! Billy?"

"Hello Taylor… welcome home" Franks replied as he held her tight.

Looking around the room, she wrapped her arms around T'Lana as she laughed with joy before she turned towards the other woman in the room and her jaw dropped as she spoke.

"T'Cara? Is that you?"

"Hello Taylor… It's been a long time" T'Cara smiled.

"My god look at you! You're beautiful… Wait, where is T'Leer?"

"T'Leer isn't here Taylor… remember?" Franks said quickly.

"Wait, you still haven't spoken?"

"Wait! All this time, you are what, a Vulcan security agent?" Kirk replied with confusion.

"Captain Kirk… This-this could take some time to explain" Taylor said quickly. "But I want to thank you, all of you for bringing me home. I give you my word that every piece of information I have gathered on the Romulans will be shared with the Federation and Starfleet Intelligence"

"Commander"

"Mister Spock…" Taylor said slowly. "I wish to thank you personally. My memories of what happened are vague… but I am sure they will fully return in time. However, one thing is sure… I would have given myself too you"

"Ohh Spock you hound!" McCoy laughed.

Remaining onboard the vessel for almost three hours, stories where thrown back and forwards between them however, one thing was never fully explained to the Enterprise crew and that was how the human male named Franks had survived for so long although Doctor McCoy was still convinced it was some form of cloning technology or some advanced medical technology that he had never heard of before. With the Romulan Cloak delivered to the former Starfleet vessel, the Enterprise crew stood on the transporter platform as Franks stepped forwards with a smile as he spoke.

"Captain Kirk… it has been fun speaking with someone from back home after all of these years. May I ask a favour, in return I offer you this bottle of Romulan Ale"

"A generous gift Jim" McCoy smiled.

"What is it?"

"Can you please… find out what happened to my sister? I need to know…" He said as his eyes showed hope and regret for his past actions.

"I'll do what I can. How will I contact you sir?"

"Remember when I said that a friend on Vulcan stopped Starfleet? Figure out who it is and send the information to them" Franks smiled.

"Other then Ambassador Sarek… who was a child at the time, the only name that I can recall is T'Pau" Spock said slowly.

"Like I said Spock, Friends in high places… Mister Cortez, energise"

As the Enterprise crew began too dematerialise, T'Cara looked at Spock and smiled as she spoke, something which sent a look of recognition across his face as Kirk and McCoy looked at the half Vulcan with a laughter in their faces.

"See you around… Sparky!"

Three Years Later…

With all of the advancements made in medical science one thing was inevitable, death and since his encounter with the Enterprise crew, William Franks' health had degenerated rapidly as he lay in a hospital bed on Vulcan surrounded by his family and closest friends. Due to the extended lifespan of his Human body, he had lived much longer then the average human and now his body was slowly giving in to age as he lay almost motionless on the bed while his loving wife remained ever at his side as she had been since the end of the Romulan War itself. Tears rolled down her face as T'Cara sat opposite her, both holding his hands as he struggled to breath while his decades long friend Taylor, sat beside T'Cara as she wept.

For a moment, he looked up at the door and smiled as a face appeared through the glass as instantly the three women looked towards the door before the sound of the monitor alarms ringing alerted them to his eventual death. Bursting through the door, the Vulcan woman seemed to collapse with an overpowering emotion as she wept while T'Lara instantly ran to her side.

"T'Leer?"

"I am sorry mother, I am too late!" She wept as the emotions she had struggled with her entire life rushed towards the surface.

"All he wanted to do, was to see you again" Replied her adoptive mother slowly.

"I am sorry mother, I am so sorry"

"No! You did what you had to do and he loved you for it" T'Lana wept.

"No-no! you don't understand… I have just received a message from Admiral Kirk I have the information he wanted"

"Then read it, read it too him T'Leer… If he can hear anything, let him hear your voice one last time"

Slowly she stood as her mother looked at her in shock at what she saw before her, her adoptive daughter was pregnant and almost ready to give birth as she stood straight and held out the Starfleet designed Computer Tablet.

"For the… T'Pau… the information as requested. I regret that I have found something disturbing on the subject in question, however… I did find an officer onboard my former ship who shares a DNA link with the subject in question. It may come as a surprise to you or whoever reads this, but it is me. A distant descendant of the one he looked for, I am not the off-spring of his sister's children but a link several generations earlier dating back to the twentieth century a past that my family had no idea about we are distant cousins several generations removed. However, in light of recent evidence I must report this… the Subject's sister and family… Mother do I have to read this part?" T'Leer said slowly.

"I will" She said as she took the tablet. "Ohh my god. In light of recent evidence I must report this… the Subject's sister and family, they where… killed in a fire which claimed all lives in 2168. Starfleet records state… Starfleet records state that they believe the fire was started by a Romulan Agent in an attempt to draw out the subject in question. I regret that I have to give this information, Rear Admiral James T. Kirk, Starfleet Operations"

"He was so close to finding everything out Mother" T'Cara said slowly as she choked back her own tears.

"I know… Taylor, prepare the chamber. He _WILL_ find out what happened to his family, as will we!"

"Yes, Director!"

The End or the Beginning?

Star Trek: Excalibur Stories by…

G.


End file.
